Among the most stable institutions are universities, some of which are almost 1,000 years old. Only a few ancient civilizations - Egypt, China, Italy, the Middle East and Japan - have lasted longer. Even if they have undergone radical transformations over the course of their history, there has always remained a core, a structure, channels of communication that have ensured continuity, if not of spirit, at least of function. The function of universities remains relatively clear: there will always be a need to develop knowledge; today, they are still asserting their function by adapting it to unprecedented technological, social and environmental changes.
In such a context, stability is necessarily conceived as a dynamic phenomenon in relation to its environment. Beyond the organization, it is above all the cultivation of relationships and the demonstration of usefulness that attracts money, skills and a vision of the future to be created. Ceasing to listen and becoming stuck in an unsuitable orientation signals the degeneration of an entity in a fairly short space of time. Fortunately, it's relatively easy to stay in touch with one's environment, as education naturally does.
At the individual level, the same phenomena can be observed: listening to the signals of one's environment, including one's own body, developing one's skills, organization and relationships, fulfilling valued functions - all these actions help to ensure stability despite the vagaries of life.
In all cases, for individuals, institutions and governments alike, giving and receiving feedback remains an essential ingredient. Even infrastructure and architecture speak to us; they too are subject to change. To ensure that spaces such as schools continue to fulfil their functions, we need to observe them and make them evolve. Some schools can serve as models.
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Denys Lamontagne - [email protected]
Illustration: Stabile/mobile by Alexander Calder
