Environment - Be Valued, Feel Understood.

Environment matters, you're the sum of what surrounds you. "He who travels a lot becomes wise; he who is wise stays home" (Chinese proverb and wisdom that seems to make sense, but I personally yet have to fully experience)
Why? Environment can be:

1. A net of thoughts and feelings that
2. natures, and nurtures you, serves as
3. your canvas, a space for expression and
4. grounds you in comfort needed for growth.

1. Our net of thoughts and feelings.

The thoughts and feelings we receive are to a large extent shaped by our environment (read e.g. Spirituality about my belief how thoughts and feelings come to us). Our environment influences the direction of our growth and self-discovery.

So - let's look at the physical and social settings in which we live and work. It's about the spaces we inhabit and the people with whom we interact, including our family, friends, colleagues, and broader community.

2. Nature and Nurture.

So, how should an environment, a society, be like? Renowned thinkers across centuries have grappled with this concept. Let's start with the biggest picture:

• Abrahamic Religions (i.e. Christianity, Islam, Judaism) would advise us to seek an environment that promotes peace, kindness and love.
• Dharmic religions (Hinduism, Buddhism,...) would point towards that which supports spiritual growth and realization of self.
• More recently emerging streams like postmodern philosophies value freedom of expression most (hello, Berlin!).
• Environmentalists demand environments that support eco-friendliness and to assert a minimal impact on nature.

Then, there's the latest:

• Digital nomadism puts seeking spaces that blurs the lines between work, life and play to focus.
• With new technology rapidly pushing our ways of living, team "futurists" rave about integration of the digital in the physical life.

3. Where your environment becomes an extension of your personality.

Thinking about how it will affect us, I tend to agree with Carl Jung, a pioneer in 20th-century psychology. He talked about individuation - the process of becoming oneself - a journey significantly impacted by our environment. Jung, who by the way loved city life as much as being in nature growing his own potatoes, believed that where one has the ability to shape their environment, it will reflect personality. And therefore: "to own land is important psychologically, and that there is no substitute for it" (1950).

While to me, that would most likely mean I should live in e.g. Berlin's outskirts with nature close by, I thought it would be fun to create a non-exhaustive and subjective list. Feel free to E-Mail me to contribute!

4. To sit in peaceful stability, growing grounded.

Traditionally, in Western culture, the 'standard' external environment has consisted of stable, structured settings - a well-defined home, a fixed workplace, and a consistent community. This model, though it has its merits in offering predictability and routine, can sometimes limit our growth and potential. And - at least in my bubble of constant change - seems outdated.

As Albert Einstein famously said, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." In other words, a change in our external environment can facilitate fresh perspectives, unexplored opportunities, and expansive growth. A stable environment can be comforting, but stability should not be synonymous with stagnation. It can provide a base from which exploration, innovation, and growth happens.

My credo: Passionately avoiding mediocrity.

Or in other words - I shan't fear to challenge the 'standard' through e.g. playful anarchy in creation.

So I seek an environment that suits my quest for fulfillment and growth in authentic human and creative ways (to me that meant to setlle in Berlin - for now).

If you're fortunate enough to be able to shape your environment it will be a reflection of your inner self; make it a canvas that truly captures the essence of you.

I have been to ~50 countries, lived in at least 20 for a month or longer, and devoted a lot of hours thinking as to "where should I live?" - including a key learning: all places feel wrong if you are not aligned with yourself.

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