How to Read an Island Christian Pleijel
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How to Read an Island Christian Pleijel How to Read an Island Christian Pleijel Copyright © Christian Pleijel ISBN 978-952-93-4583-0 Translation: Rose Marie Rachal, Adam Gordon Form: April Kommunikation Print: FRAM Photo and illustrations unless otherwise stated: Christian Pleijel Foreword 5 Introduction 7 Chapter 1 White Hat Thinking 8 Chapter 2 Yellow Hat Thinking 30 Chapter 3 Black Hat Thinking 70 Chapter 4 Red Hat Thinking 96 Chapter 5 Green Hat Thinking 122 Chapter 6 Blue Hat Thinking 146 The lighthouse on Lismore, Inner Hebrides in Scotland. Foreword In my frequent lectures and presentations on the life and have co-authored an article in a peer-reviewed journal; we may be taken by the romantic urbanites, who have had economic survival of small island societies, I usually em- have discussed small island economic development while enough of the rat race in the traffic-snarled cities, and be- phasise the particularities of the economies of scope. Where exploring the landscape of Kökar, as well as on one of the lieve it is high time for them to reap some quality of life economies of scale and specialization cannot be practised, two and a half hour ferry crossings that are very much part – where else but on an island, on a full-time or part-time small island inhabitants deploy what have been called of Christian’s, and small island, life. basis? No wonder that the ‘settler versus native’ tension is “economies of scope”, which means that islanders develop the deepest bone of contention, and yet a seat of such rich Now Christian surprises me – and shows me another as- and make clever and skilful use of a repertoire of diverse diversity, in contemporary island life. pect of his rich wardrobe of hats – with a new and creative skills and competences, which they go about using succes- approach to the use of hats and islands. He resorts to the This reader-friendly text speaks of islands as little big places, sively and/or simultaneously. The metaphor used to explain ‘six thinking hats’ methodology developed by my Maltese always larger than what they may seem. Thank you and well this behaviour refers to hats. All seasoned and culturally co-national Edward de Bono and uses this to good effect to done, Christian, for offering us this little big book. Here is acclimatised islanders develop a sophisticated wardrobe unpack and come to better terms with the nature and chal- a series of autobiographic, assorted cameos and reflections that contains many hats: this equates to a generous supply lenges of island living. – factual, emotional, experiential, critical, celebratory, pe- of social capital. Then, they entrepreneurially choose, or jorative – that will appeal to those who love small islands, are forced to adopt, one or more particular hats from their Of course, (small) island living presents a challenge – but equally resonate with those who reject them, inform those wardrobe to survive, or exploit an opportunity as and when especially so to mainlanders trying to figure out how these who govern them, and otherwise interest the many others it arises, as long as it may last, and for as long as it is practical islanders manage the isolation, the lack of choices on the who would at least visit or live on islands when they can – and/or profitable to do so. shelves at the only grocery store, the stoic waits for the next does that not sum up everybody”? ferry service, the logistics and costs involved for visiting the Small island inhabitants connect with each other over and only available skin specialist within a day’s travel time… over again by means of the multiplicities of hats they use; Islanders may remind themselves that the difficulties also each hat becomes associated with a particular socio-cultur- come with some real rewards: tighter communities (for Godfrey Baldacchino al, political or economic role; and in this way relationships better or for worse); safer neighbourhoods, and a particular Professor of Sociology, University of Malta, Malta between the same two persons become complex, multi- island pace of social life. layered, thus difficult to disentangle. Where a mainlander Island Studies Teaching Fellow, University of Prince sees many role conflicts, an islander sees a rich and peopled Not everyone buys into the small island way of life. Par- Edward Island, Canada network conducive to livelihood and likely prosperity. ticularly in Europe, where all of the 2,455 inhabited islands Visiting Professor of Island Tourism, University of Corsica, except four (mainland Malta, mainland Ireland, mainland I must admit to a similarly intricate relationship with France Britain, and Cyprus) belong to a larger, mainland state. Is- Christian Pleijel. Let me count some of the ways in which landers can (if they afford) choose to ditch their island and Editor, Island Studies Journal we have shared in each other’s lives (I will probably forget settle elsewhere within the mainland. And some do, leading and omit a few, to my embarrassment, and I apologise up- to a depopulation of various islands and a skewed demo- front for this.) We have broken bread together on both his graphic in others, left to survive in the absence of young island (Kökar) and mine (Malta); we have contributed to families and children. As they leave, their place (literally) each other’s intellectual and professional development; we European islands, especially those mentioned in this book. Introduction This book is about Europe’s small islands, the people that − Chapter 4, Red Hat: emotions such as anger, hatred many visitors, but few people actually work and live within live there, their lives, joys, the ferries, children and jobs: is- and love. Hunches, intuition and values find voice their boundaries. They are mythic, mystic, evoking pro- lands as societies. here. found questions within us and sometimes providing an answer. They are rich but live under difficult economic con- I utilize the six thinking hats1, a concept developed by − Chapter 5, Green Hat: creativity. New ideas, new ditions. The common opinion of some is that churches and Edward de Bono as a tool to help make our thinking concepts, new and untried approaches to solving islands are only occasionally needed and could be closed processes more effective. “Put on your thinking hat”, the old problems. most of the year. Maltese developer of “lateral thinking” de Bono says, − Chapter 6, Blue Hat: agenda, control over the referring not to one but rather to six hats, which invite I welcome you to grab your hats and follow me on a process, focus. Chairperson’s hat. What it’s all parallel thinking as opposed to argumentation. The hats journey to some of the 2,431 small islands of Europe. leading to. Summaries, conclusions and decisions. provide a role-play strategy that separates ego from opin- Allow me to guide you along a factual, positive, pessimistic, ion – they are not my hats, I am just borrowing them for The hats are my working process, that I attempt to visualize loving, creative and structured path. a while to look at islands from differing angles, in order within the supplemental map in the book. All the ideas, arguments and errors to be found in to gain perspective. Living on a small island, engaged in island issues, I work this book are mine only. If you care to give me feed- Fourteen years ago, I took an Edward de Bono course in as a consultant. My job gives me the opportunity to influ- back, you may contact me at [email protected] Serious Creativity and learned then how to use these hats. ence, support and even execute policy insights in addition or telephone number +46-70-284 77 97. I wear them often and always find them very useful as to implimentation of strategic designs that are interspersed tools for thinking by myself and as a method of having a throughout my book. meaningful dialogue with others. The hats allow time for Part of the revenues from this book will be used to create creative thinking; making it possible to ask a group to think a fund which will by administrated by the European Small Kökar in September 2014 creatively for a time thus stopping other people from being Islands Federation (http://europeansmallislands.com/), Christian Pleijel incessantly negative. The hats allow us to look at the advan- mainly to make it possible for students to focus on and tages of an idea whilst allowing us to express our intuitions travel to small islands as part of their studies. and gut feelings within a serious context. The title is inspired by the book, How To Read A Church, in Using them to structure my book, wherein each and every which the author Richard Taylor explains how one should one of the six chapters are written one of the hats: read a church: what the architecture, colours, sculptures − Chapter 1, White Hat: facts and figures about and symbols represent in order to be correctly understood; Europe’s islands. Neutral and objective. how one should interpret images in church art, how to identify people, scenes, details and their significance; the − Chapter 2, Yellow Hat: positive thinking. Good symbolism of individual animals, plants, colours, numbers examples, role models. Optimism. and letters; what it all means and how it is all related. − Chapter 3, Black Hat: critical judgement. What are 1The Six Thinking Hats – Copyright IP Development Corporation © 1985, Islands and churches have many similarities: they are soli- the risks facing the islands? Pessimism, caution. 1999 created by Dr Edward de Bono, used with permission of de Bono tary, clearly divided from their surroundings.