Cathedral thinking

Stephen Hawking is one of my heroes. A wise man whose disabilities never stopped him from chasing his dreams. Dreams which, in a way, Humanity might never resolve in his lifetime. But somehow, Hawking seems to be fine with that. And in fact, he seems to want to motivate more people to chase more of those types of challenges and ideas. The things that will probably outlive you.

He calls it ‘cathedral thinking’, and I love the definition. In essence, it’s the mental model of artists whose dreams are bigger than their lifespan. Most major monuments Humanity has built over its history fall under cathedral thinking. The Angkor Wat in Cambodia took over 400 years to complete. The Great Wall of China was a 2,000 year construction project. The Sagrada Familia, whose construction began in 1,882, is still a work in progress. Greatness takes time and usually surpasses the original artist’s lifetime.

On a smaller scale, I see a connection with what good marketing is and does. Ask any brand planner and she’ll say that the best ideas endure and evolve over time. It’s hard to find them. But every now and then there’s a spark that provokes something big. Bigger than a single campaign’s lifespan. Bigger than Q2. Bigger than the financial year. Bigger than Cannes.

Some might call it a cultural shift. But if you steal from Hawking’s definition, you might as well call it cathedral thinking. Something that by definition outlives the original visionary(ies). This matters, maybe now more than ever. We face more short-termism than ever in the work we do. Sometimes it’s our fault, sometimes it’s out of our control. Our egos tend to get in the way as we chase that next great hit we can call ours. But sometimes the market motivates us to do just that because all the cool kids are doing it. Or just because, if we don’t, we might lose a new revenue stream.

As far as I know, most great monuments were not built with the fancy new materials that were trendy back then. What they have in common is a powerful historical, social and cultural significance. There may be a lesson in that for anyone who works in marketing.

Don’t get me wrong — I believe that, sometimes, being the first to do something matters. First mover advantages are real. But you don’t always need a hot new piece of stone to make something special. Sometimes you just need to think like you were building a cathedral.

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Hello! I’m Roberto, a freelance content strategist who delivers simple and practical strategies based on a solid understanding of technology, brand building and human nature. Find out more about me at estreitinho.com and get in touch if you want to grab a coffee!