7^th November 2000

Richard Rogers
Richard Rogers Associates

Dear Richard

I am a recent graduate . . . and am looking for advice. I am wondering what to do with my life. I have just finished a degree in architecture.

I suffer from a mental illness – schizophrenia and had a nervous breakdown recently, but now that I am recovering, I am looking at life more positively and with more possibilities and opportunities.

I have all these grand ideas in my mind about what I could do with my life…

 Working against poverty – social work – I dislike the fact in society some people spend their whole life in a mental institute. After spending some time there, and realising they have such a bleak future and that I am in such a better position than them. I think it is unfair because these people are not stupid, etc. but there is no one there to really make a substantial difference- which should be possible now since we are living in year 2000, etc and civilisation should have moved on by now to eradicate poverty.

 I dislike the fact that in the Third World countries that they do not have the means to help  themselves in a crisis but that we do and that we don't do enough to stop people from starving and dying – every life is worth so much. I know that charities are working so hard but that the government – the people with the power, can not work harder together to help and trade in a more fair way with these countries.- so that they can advance themselves further- it is an unfair advantage due to history and we still play by really old rules- I think that the model of society that we a re living by is really outdated but our government and everyone – we all still live by it – and that people are dying so easily.

I wish that the world did not revolve around money and materialistic things. I think that technology should be most important. It is the twenty-first century and we still print out this paper called 'money' and the poor  who don't have any end up starving or dying and spending their lives on the streets. I feel angry that this still exists in society – it is like having houses without toilets in the twenty-first century.

I wish we lived in a society where it functioned without money – that humans were clever enough to live in a system where we all lived fulfilling lives harnessing technology and science- and that schoolling was much more advanced.

I wish that people understood each other more – I'm sure that it is that we are not caring enough in the right way to help those who suffer from depression & low poverty. I don't believe that the poor/ unwealthy in this country are unwealthy due to them being stupid but due to them being unable to help themselves because they don't have the means. It's that their energy and input is being wasted.

I am writing to you 'out of the blue'. I hope that you can make sense of this letter and that it isn't too peculiar that I am writing. I thought that you might understand or knew someone who did.

As I write this letter, I think of  the Pompidou Centre, and how you and your team designed it – It's all to do with infrastructure and systems (in society). Maybe writing to you has been a bit displaced and I should have…. I feel naïve… I wish that you or someone had designed it more – not a building but our society.

I enclose a copy of my CV, not for employment reasons but just for your interest.

Yours sincerely

Annie