A Sustainable MINDSET

THOMAS BRUHN is a physicist at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Potsdam, Germany. He is a researcher and a bridge builder, helping experts and change-makers from all sectors of society to come together to explore the topic of sustainability, listen to each other, and develop solutions. In part 1 of his conversation with JUDITH NELSON at the Spirit of Humanity Forum in Reykjavik, Iceland, he talks about the walking holiday he had after finishing his studies, and how it informed his perspectives on nature and sustainability.

- JUDITH NELSON

Q: I was intrigued by some of the content of your session this morning, particularly when you talked about your walk, where you went from a mindset of "think, think, think" and "work, work, work" to something very different. Can you explain more?

That transformation came after I completed my diploma thesis. It was an intense phase of working, where I had little space for myself. Originally, I had huge plans after my studies like, "I'll go to the Himalayas, or the Rocky Mountains, or the Andes," but I didn't have time to organize anything. I ended up packing a very small bag and started to walk in Germany. I only had a plan for the first three days, because there was a place I had been in my youth with my parents, and I thought, "That's a nice place to start." There is a place in the very south of Germany and I had intense memories of that place. I thought I would like to end up there.

When I started walking, I realized how long it took for me to calm down, certainly a whole week. All sorts of things came to mind - music, songs, inner voices. I thought of my diploma thesis. Was there something I had done wrong? Because I was walking and I was on my own, I could observe and allow everything to be as silly as it seemed.