Opening Address to the 2nd International Conference on Concrete Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofitting. Cape Town 24 November 2008.

Abstract

Most people, whether consciously or unconsciously, are attracted to what I shall call, the “great human narrative” of transformation through journey. We find the narrative attractive because it appears prominently - as a leitmotif - in much of the way in which we construct our religious and cultural understandings of ourselves. The journey narrative speaks strongly to our sense of identity - both as belonging to a group (tribe, nation, human, etc) but also as individual (adult, academic, gardener, etc). We recognise these identities as having been formed through difficult intellectual, spiritual and often, physical journey. Importantly, we think of the personal as well as the shared journey as a process towards a better understanding of complexity – towards a more enlightened view of the world and our place in it.