x-posted in Human Values

Blogging into a post I wrote in Las Vegas in Aug 2007 Madewell’s Alexa Chung Say ‘No’ Las Vegas Style, I smiled at the Flickr photo in my Las Vegas photo search. 

The photo is not of the Las Vegas Bellagio fountains, but of the new Burj Khalifa, whose fountains are 25% larger than the Bellagio’s in Las Vegas, according to Flickr’s EVø.

Today this ‘my fountains are bigger than your fountains’ macho, Modern-values photo is ironic, given the temporary closing for unscheduled maintenance of the Burj Khalifa’s observation tower.

My purpose is not to rehash the story or criticize the Burj Khalifa in any way.

I’m writing only to say that  I was convinced — and advising clients —  that the world was headed for a major meltdown. Arriving in Las Vegas in Aug 2007, I never felt so empty in America.

The symbolism of these grand structures reminds us of man’s capabilities and also his shortcomings. I say ‘men’ because this has been your show to date, guys. Do any of us doubt that there’s more to come? We all know we’re not done yet, having played with monopoly money for the first decade of the 21st century.

As men reaches higher for the sky — given their tendency to conquer nature — She seems to be saying ‘not so fast’, throwing men a few Cultural Creative curve balls of her own.

EVø on FlickrHistorically, those values haven’t mattered much to the men who build skyscrapers. Mind you, I have nothing about economically and environmentally-efficient tall buildings. They can often be the best use of space, and I love the views.

My point concerns the Modern need to build them taller than the next guy’s.

Will female principles gain any traction in our 21st century world? The jury is out, although many futurists and pundits say ‘yes’.

The newly evolving values group called Cultural Creatives are 65% women, with mindset less about conquering and more about saving the planet.

If men are motivated by ideology at all cost, including nuclear war, women prefer to keep the ground fertile and babies with full stomachs. Women are far more pragmatic than men, which isn’t at all what I was told growing up.