A House of Light

Romanticism, a movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, believed that nature and the common man are essentially benevolent and that through isolation and melancholy one could come to a deep appreciation of personal experience. They celebrated passion and intuition as being fundamental to understanding the world, and they idealised the past as having been the nobler times. The Romantics championed radical politics and unconventional behaviour, and they celebrated the achievements of a few “heroic” individuals. 

In fact, there are many similarities to our modern times, in which individualisation of lifestyles, goods, and services has led to the increasing importance of the personal experience and “Me-Time”—the notion that the most valuable time is best spent with oneself. This strong focus on individual experience has once again lessened our care and commitment to essential social groups, such as the families we live in, the companies we work for, the clubs and associations—all of which we are taking for granted and which have served to keep our communities and our infrastructure strong and resilient.

In the mid 19th century, Romanticism was succeeded by Realism, which brought about a sober analysis of the needs and situation of society. The Realists looked at pressing issues such as the advancing industrialisation and urbanisation, which had not received as much attention in prior years. International trade was booming, and the increase in the shipment of goods was making accidents at sea a more common phenomenon. For the protection of financial interests and to save the souls on board, ships became larger, and lighthouses were erected along the coast to serve as guiding lights for incoming vessels.

The Westerheversand lighthouse was built in 1906. It was erected on an artificial mound 1,000 metres in front of the outer sea dyke. It stands 41 metres tall and helps guide navigators past the dangerous shallows of the North Sea all year. As an immovable marker weighing hundreds of tonnes, its reassuring light pulse—one second of darkness followed by two seconds of light—can be seen from as far as 40 kilometres away. And, as modern captains and ship pilots will assure you, lighthouses have maintained their relevance for orientation to this day.

Lighthouses provide an important sense of direction when our human intuition is simply not enough to stay clear of harm. They facilitate a secure voyage even in treacherous seas, and they provide stability to commerce. They are also a reminder of the virtues of foresight, the communication of ideas, and human cooperation. Whenever a lighthouse gives hope and assurance to souls struggling in stormy seas, it does so because someone communicated the need to put it there first.

With crossXculture, you are investing in communication and people. Language training classes enhance our understanding of the world and encourage a positive outlook. They strengthen the readiness for communication between colleagues and lead to greater resilience of the workforce in turbulent seas. Our trainers are locally sourced with great care to assure they serve as communication beacons and role models in our time.

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