4 — Ooh, I’m so glad I finally get to answer this question.
Well, YU probably read the 6th post of my newsletter : WHAT IS YÜGEN?
If not, I highly recommend it. Because what we did was quite simple: we turned the YÜGEN concept into a verb.
We added ING. Et voilà: YUGENING.
Simply because to become fully aware of the universe, and therefore of yourself, of others, and of this planet, requires action. It’s a verb. A process.
Or, as Véronique likes to call it: The Neverending Quest.
A quest for better solutions. For a better version of yourself. For space to breathe, to fully embrace this one and only life, a permission to express who YU truly are.
But YU need the force to be with YU :
Like the force Courage. To stand up for yourself. To finally say : Enough is enough.
And Compassion. Forgiveness. For other, yes, but most of all : for yourself. To understand that everything that happened to YU, even the difficult parts, it was all training.
Or Childlike Wonderment. Yes, I know : it’s cliché. But nevertheless the little version of YU still wants to play. To dance, to sing, to be silly and crazy, to laugh loudly, to cuddle. To feel fully alive!
And Curiosity. Yes, me. Because there is no progress without the next question. Especially the questions everyone avoids.
It takes also a Captain with a moral Compass. Integrity. Someone who can navigate uncertainty. Balance between options. Make pragmatic decisions, sometimes difficult ones.
Even when everyone else is walking in the opposite direction, because choosing a different path often comes with resistance, ridicule and doubt.
Luckily, our Captain has Courageous Nikki ‘O standing guard at the gate. Although her anger management remains a work in progress.
4 —No no, Nikki ‘O. It’s okay. Just explaining the forces to the readers, that’s all. Keep calm.
Where was I? Right.
And then there are the forces that work against us.
Conformity. Criticism. Coldness.
We don’t need them. And they can be surprisingly strong and magnetic.
That’s why we need to recognise them.
Because YU cannot solve a problem… if YU cannot see it..
And overcoming problems like that takes something bigger than any individual :
It takes a Community. People connecting the dots.
A giant Collective of brainpower, courage, compassion, creativity, and imagination.
People willing to build the solutions this planet desperately needs : the dreamers, the builders, the troublemakers, the rebels with a heart. The visionaries.
It needs people who still believe a better future is possible.
In short : This Crazy Circus needs
YU.
*****
2* — Ahum…
4 — Yes, Nikki ‘O?
2* — I see YU’re interrupting the Captain’s boring logs with your newsletter? Meanwhile I have to wait with mine until she’s finally finished…?
4 — Well, Captain and I agreed that Questions always take priority.
2* — I see…
4 — How far are YU with your newsletter anyway?
2* — Well, Veronica… since YU’re asking. Tadaaaa!
4 — Wait!? That’s your banner? YU don’t even smoke cigars!
2* — Yes, I do.
4 — No, YU pretend YU like cigars just to mess with people’s heads.
2* — In the beginning, yes. Now I actually enjoy it.
4 — That’s literally how addiction works, by the way.
1 — The split in that dress is TOO high!
2* and 4 — Oh, shut up!
4 — I’m more concerned about the cigar. YU’re talking about health, wellbeing and reducing sick leave… while holding nicotine.
2* — That’s exactly the point.
4 — What? The contradiction?
2* — The contradiction, yes! Don’t YU get it? People will keep smoking, drinking, doomscrolling, overeating, sniffing and doing all sorts of uhm.. questionable things.
But YUGENING Architecture doesn’t judge. Its Biophilic Design principles simply support people as they are. YU don’t have to do anything, YU can just simply be yourself!
1 — TOO confusing!
2* and 4 — Oh, shut up!
4 — I understand what YU’re trying to do. But explaining the health benefits of YUGENING Architecture isn’t really your department.
2* — No?
4 — No. YU’re Architype 2*: Courage. YU’re not here to explain the effects of air quality, circadian rhythms, or the benefits of good acoustics. That’s my job. YU’re here for something else.
2* — Such as?
4 — Giving people permission. To be courageous and start following their passion.
2* — Permission for passion…. Ooo, I like that… Okay, got it. I’ll get back to work.
*****
My name is Veronica.
I am one of Véronique Orens’ alter egos. Or as she prefers to call them: Architypes. These Architypes (with an “i”, because the ArchEtypes already belong to Carl Jung. But don’t ask me how the pronunciation is any different), were created from Architecture. Hence the ‘i’ in Architype.
There are 9 Architypes in total. YU will get to know them one by one. And yes, we know. It’s a lot to take in. An architect with 26 years of experience, once considered a highly respected professional, suddenly showing up with 9 alter egos after two years of isolation…
It does sound slightly insane.
That’s why we call it ; The Crazy Circus. Yes, we have gone bonkers and we love it. Maybe the world could use a little more beautiful madness right now.
I myself represent the Architype of Curiosity. I have always loved curious people. The nerds. The passionate misfits. Hence the red dress and the ‘sexy’ name ‘Veronica’, referring to Veronica Lake. Because she had a high IQ but didn’t look like the stereotypical “nerd.” And that’s exactly the point. There are countless brilliant women out there constantly being underestimated because of the way they look. Too beautiful to possibly be intelligent.
But the same thing happens to men who managed to keep a soft heart in a world that often rewards emotional distance. Somewhere along the way, vulnerability and empathy became mistaken for weakness. And seriousness for intelligence.
That story is getting old. It’s time for a new story.
