For the past week or two, one idea has been weighing heavily on my mind: space. No, not the NASA kind, but rather the overall concept of “space”. Although, now that I think about it, the “NASA-space” could readily align with this post and would probably be way more exciting than what I’m about to write (I mean, who doesn’t love a good video roll of the surface on Mars?).
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about space in the more abstract sense. Inspired by this amazing TED talk, in which Candy Chang discusses the idea of public spaces and how to utilize them for the benefit of, well, the public, I was intrigued by the difference between public and private spaces. What does it mean to own space and how can space belong to someone in particular? When someone asks me where I’m from, I can automatically answer “California”, without having to ask for clarification and they receive the answer they’re looking for. Similarly, when people ask where my home (note- the possessive “my”) is, I can automatically give the same answer. Do I belong to this geographically bound space titled “California” or does it belong to me? In my mind, I’d like to think the answer is ambiguous (um, duh- I would LOVE to have an entire state belong to me. Although I don’t know if I’d like to manage the debt, the multiplicity of opinions- however respectable they all are, the environmental impacts of non-environmentally conscious individuals or habits,…oh wait. This doesn’t seem like a good idea anymore.)
But this ambiguity does bring up an interesting point. If a space belongs to a person or a group of individuals then don’t we have a responsibility over it as much as a right? Within the past few weeks, both political parties have taken it upon themselves to describe both the responsibility and rights of American citizens and a lot of their discussion has centered around individual families, ideals, and dreams (side note, if you haven’t seen the first lady’s speech, stop reading my rambling and go watch it NOW.) But what about our collective dreams, ideals, and, well, space? The public spaces that Ms. Chang talks about then become especially important if they belong to each of us and all of us, as a whole. Like she so eloquently puts it, these spaces become “powerful [because]… we’re given the opportunity to have a voice and share more with one another.”
To bring this concept of space closer to home (no pun intended…maybe), this past week I learned about how space and the use of space in a patient’s room plays a role in the entire doctor-patient experience. I never truly considered this as a factor- in fact, I assumed that the patient might be so overwhelmed by their pain or discomfort that the last thing they think about is how much space they would want between their doctor and themselves. But it makes sense. The doctor-patient relationship is more of a partnership than anything and if the idea is to “have a voice and share more with one another” then spatial recognition is a skill that is understandably given importance in medical training.
If “space” can in fact belong to several people, then, the converse should be true, right? A person can belong to several spaces. The easiest for me to relay is the feeling of belonging I immediately experienced when I received my hospital ID several days ago. How can a piece of plastic with a hastily taken photo of myself make me feel so connected to a specific space?
Similarly, how can my experiences near the waterfront Jazz festival in Detroit bring back several memories of music festivals in Golden Gate park in San Francisco and make me feel intimately connected to BOTH spaces at the SAME time?
These are questions that I’m not sure there is an answer to. And I’m fairly certain I shouldn’t spend any more time pondering this concept when I have a stack of microbiology lectures to get through. But isn’t this small space on the internet my own? One in which I share my thoughts with all of you and you, in turn, with me?
PS How many of you were thrown off by the blog’s layout change…or I guess change of face (space)? ;)
the white coat catalogs 