Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best...
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
What a world it would be if everyone succeeded like this, huh? And here we are in a position to pull it off. Right now, the average first world person has unprecedented access to knowledge. Not only do we have a full inheritance of the wisdom from all the world's religions, but we have been endowed (he he endowed) with all the collected and vetted insights of science.
And it's a good thing too. We are going to need all the help we can get, because our progress has come at a terrible price. We have lost the security of small close communities. Families are fractured and narcissism, depression, anxiety and a host of other mental ills are on the rise. All this information has a dark side too. With so many choices, distractions, obligations it may seem easier to just shut down, drink another scotch and watch a "Friends" re-run. Nobody should be surprised that while death from famine and disease plague the third world, suicide still haunts our ranks. But does this look right to you?
I believe we can do better. I believe there is a better moment, a better day, a better life, a better world just right out there waiting for us, and we can build it...we have the technology.
Why bother? I believe that the real value of the internet is in leveraging the knowledge of the virtual community to enrich and repair our geographical communities. And we can all do our part. I'll share my stories and insights, but I need yours too.
Anyway I'm doing my best to start building it...will you come?
Would you be mine?, could you be mine?
