The reason why I can't help but love this work of getting closer to people's daily lives lies in the thrill of 'discovery'.
"We don't live in a house, we live in a room!"
A single remark from a designer in her 20s, with a nuance of 'Why are you worrying so much about something so obvious?', struck me like lightning. It allowed me to understand the seemingly unconnected daily worries, the shrinking attitudes in the face of goals, the big and small conflicts with older generations, and the perspectives on relationships that I had encountered in the survey participants as a new texture.
Following that, moments of realization came when I realized that I had endured the awkwardness of interim reports, cautiously watching for opportunities to continue the conversation for just a little longer to explore that single context, asking for referrals, and even handing out a box of walnut cookies, all while using my eyes to confirm 'So, what's the deal...?'
Epiphany: The act of intuitively grasping the whole truth through ordinary experiences.
This universality of human experience. Isn't the essence of insight the realization of the invisible connections that facilitate change, from everyday empathy for someone to professional development?
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