Heroes Not Zombies

I was very fortunate to be able to visit Japan a number of times. I was fascinated by it on every visit. So much was just so different from my experience of Scotland and European countries.

This photo is one of many I took in Kyoto. It’s a good example of how obviously different life is there from, say, that in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Look at the width of the street, the architecture of the buildings, the wires stretching the length and breadth of the street. And, especially look at the person on the bicycle, cycling while holding up an umbrella!

Our physical environments are all so different, our built ones too, and in particular our cultural ones. All that is created by, and creates, a particular way of living.

This diversity is a great strength not just in human communities but in every natural environment.

I have quite a dislike of uniformity. I know we have to create and live together and therefore need to have a fair amount of features in common, but wouldn’t the world be a much poorer place if sameness was imposed everywhere?

The other I think about when I see this photo is just how important are these environments in which we live. It’s impossible to understand health and disease without knowing the physical, social and cultural contexts of each person.