According to both Google and ChatGPT, talking to yourself is not just normal, it is healthy. It can improve memory and motivation and help regulate emotions.
It was very different when I was a child. Back in the day, we used to say that talking to yourself was the first sign of madness. The second sign of madness was listening.
To this day, if I am walking down the street and I see someone coming towards me talking to themselves loudly, excitedly or angrily, I am giving them a wide berth. Which is kind of ironic, given that the various elements of the demolition and construction industry are forever talking to themselves loudly, excitedly or angrily.
I have attended conferences in which architects have spoken excitedly about sustainability. But those that will ultimately be required to make good on that sustainability promise – the demolition contractors – are not just absent from the audience; they were never consulted on the architects’ ambitious aims.
Most recently, I have heard environmentalists and government ministers calling for an end to any and all demolition, lest it destroy their precious embodied carbon. Oddly enough, they never do that in front of an audience of demolition contractors that might burst their bubble with a few facts.
I was reminded of the industry’s willingness to talk to itself on Friday last week when I attended the autumn seminar of the Institute of Demolition Engineers.
This article continues on Demolition Insider. Please use the link below to access this article FOR FREE.
