RICHARD BUCKMINSTER FULLER (1895-1983)

I was thinking about writing about Buckminster Fuller, because his life and work is truly amazing and inspiring to each and everyone. He was driven by the will to help humanity as a whole by applying science and intelligence to identify the most important problems of the decades yet to come. With 47 honorary doctorates, 25 major patents and being a renownend architect, philosopher, scientist in one small life, it seems all too much. Especially when thinking that he started out broke, jobless and suicidal.  The vast amount of writings and the enormous amount and size of his thoughts, ideas and visions, have inspired me so many times. How could I leave something out? What? Here are some tidbits to start your appetite:

• Bucky Fuller had feasible plans to stop hunger in the world 20 years before the first international congress resumed the same ideas.
• He dabbled with solar- and wind power years before everyone else thought about it.
• He also wrote about synergy long before everyone else did.
• He invented the geodesic dome, still the best structure build fast, light yet the strongest way to build it and cost-effective halls. (He even devised a dome that would house Manhattan and save its cost within ten years by no more snow-removal.
• He also invented the Dymaxion-Car which has only three wheels therefore better steering.
• He was convinced that humanity could enjoy progress for each and everyone by simple producing more and better by using less and less resources. All the while he was thinking on a global scale, making living better for everyone, not only an elite of the rich.
• He invented the term “spaceship earth” and looking at humanity as an experiment with the option to succeed. Thereby at least giving us all something to think about – the true closeness and dependency of each others needs, the stupidity of nationalism, sustainability, …

Unable to produce a better introduction into Richard Buckminster Fuller’s life, I’ll just advise you to go to THE BUCKMINSTER FULLER INSTITUTE instead and read up on this great personality. In our times, where intelligence, knowledge and thinking seem to be of little value for the majority of people, people like Buckminster Fuller and their influence are what is dearly missed.

www.bfi.org