Creativity and functionalism make a great city
All we need now is to nurture a creative society to take Hong Kong to new heights
Recently I attended a fruitful meeting in Stockholm on media and suicide, exchanging the latest knowledge with researchers from around the globe and discussing how we can use technology to connect the disconnected ones, especially the young.
Social media is a double-edged sword that can be contagious in spreading news of suicides and inviting copycat action among the vulnerable. But it can also be a platform to help someone who might not be reachable through conventional means. It is challenging to move with the times and identify the means to engage with vulnerable people effectively.
Stockholm is known for its beauty, its buildings and architecture, its abundant clean and open waters and its many parks. The weather is still cold at the moment, varying daily between minus 3 degrees Celsius and 7 degrees.
Stockholm has about 100 museums and a visit to the Nobel Museum reminded me that creativity is very important and it is something that could be missing in our education system. Sometimes our school curriculum and parents are too examination-oriented and the children do not experience the joy of learning.
Even some of our university students are too focused on getting high GPA scores only.
Creativity, or lack of it, is also very much connected to the environment. High rents and a lack of investment in research and education can adversely affect creativity.