Labyrinthine Reality

I have just finished reading one of Alain de Botton's books, The Architecture of Happiness, and have come out not just a little wiser about architecture but also grasping a few general truths about people and how they tick.

Putting his finger on why some buildings, despite genius architects, splendid plans and sweeping vision, leave us feeling just that little bit uncomfortable, de Botton says this can be traced back to "architects who forgot to pay homage to the quirks of the human mind...seduced by a simplistic vision of who we might be, rather than attending to the labyrinthine reality of who we are."

Hear, hear! Let's stop trying to the predict the future, whether it's with:

- all those patented market research techniques that claim to predict how a piece of communication will "perform"

- those creative briefs that state what people will think, feel and do after they have seen said piece of communication

- or even all those clever-clogs algorithms that tell me that because I liked this, then I will also like that...

...and rejoice in the labyrinthine reality of the here and now!