thinking: relating- celebrating :-)

One of the nicer things about getting older is being able to take a longer term perspective on the future.

More specifically; how our lives and those of our friends turn out based on decisions and actions in time past. It is a truism that we often don’t know or fully understand the significance of key events until much later.

The trigger for some of these thoughts was a long term wedding anniversary which is great achievement in itself but the what I really enjoyed was the opportunity to compare notes across a very wide sample of people ranging from 3 to 70+ .

In some case I talked with people I hadn’t seen in 30 years. With so many people it was a series of quick snapshots on what they or I had been up to and the results were often fascinating.

Marshall McLuhan famously said that “Predicting the present” was more difficult that trying to guess the future.

In answer to the question What Are You Optimistic About? Howard Rhinegold started his answer in this way (in a 2007 series.)

“The tools for cultural production and distribution are in the pockets of 14 year olds.

This does not guarantee that they will do the hard work of democratic self-governance: the tools that enable the free circulation of information and communication of opinion are necessary but not sufficient for the formation of public opinion.

Ask yourself this question: Which kind of population seems more likely to become actively engaged in civic affairs

— a population of passive consumers, sitting slackjawed in their darkened rooms, soaking in mass-manufactured culture that is broadcast by a few to an audience of many,

or a world of creators who might be misinformed or ill-intentioned, but in any case are actively engaged in producing as well as consuming cultural products?

Recent polls indicate that a majority of today’s youth — the “digital natives” for whom laptops and wireless Internet connections are part of the environment, like electricity and running water — have created as well as consumed online content.

I think this bodes well for the possibility that they will take the repair of the world into their own hands, instead of turning away from civic issues, or turning to nihilistic destruction.

In my life I’ve been far more motivated by causes and big ideas than anything else.

My Dad always used to say he wouldn’t know how he’d done till he sees how our children turn out. How is that for a longer term view? My daughter keeps me on my toes  and we are enjoying the journey of being engaged with the world around us and beyond.

I agree with Rhinegold and the idea that we can choose to repair the present and engage with optimism.

With recent events in Egypt still unfolding we can take heart that it is largely the youth of that nation who have called time on the tired old ideas of the past. (Linda Herrera)

“Some characteristics of this global generation are excessive communication, involving many people in decision making, multitasking, group work, blurring of public and private, sharing, individual expression, and collective identification.

Another important distinction between the generations is that the digital generation take what media theorist Clay Shirky calls “symmetrical participation” for granted.

In other words, they are not passive recipients of media and messages, as in the days when television and print media ruled, but take for granted that they can play a role in the simultaneous production, consumption, interaction with, and dissemination of on-line content.”

There is no doubt that the social connections and amplification of these ideas online has made a huge contribution to a far more optimistic future.

What have I been up to at the start of 2011. Lots of swimming and working on WordCampNZ 2011. This mention map looks to be interactive and probably updates in real time.

Hover over the map to explore connections. Enter your twitter id to view your own map.

Note: the original flash version from http://apps.asterisq.com/mentionmap died some time back so have just added a screenshot in April 2012 to fill the space. Very interesting to see that some people hotpspots are still hot even 18 months later.

Not sure if this link will work Mention map – dialogcrm you may need to login to your twitter account from mentionmap.

There is an old myth that Eskimo have a very large number of words for snow.

At first that seems like it could be true given the apparent lack of change in the Northern landscape. Its a nice idea though.

For me I like the idea of precision and being able to cut through to the core significance of whatever the subject matter is. And yet..

sometimes we find we just have no words to describe what is happening around us.

Truth is we interpret everything based on out own frameworks and vocabulary : yet shared experiences can be richer when there are no words or when words fail to capture that depth of experience.

Not so long ago I went for a walk with a friend who was very sick. We’d already talked that one out and walking was just a simple pleasure and enough by itself.

I never saw him again (as it happened -RIP) but there was a kind of shared communion in that walk.

Just recently I made time to be with a friend and to consciously just sit and watch the sunset together.

We talked about everything and nothing and yet there is a kind of alignment that comes with being present and making to time to share. Not easy to timetable but important to do.

Technology has exploded the natural limits of friendship and how we can be together.

When you also work in a technology sector that means tuning into both physical and virtual spaces which can be very different but rewarding when you do.

Chris Brogan wrote back in 2007

“I need more words for “friend.” What do you call that person you really like a lot, but have only met in person once? What do you call that person you wish you spent more time with, but who you connect with every time you’re together?”

He was talking about the kind of new connection that is more easily possible in a world of twitter, skype and facebook where the context between us has changed in new and interesting ways.

The Bogardus Social Distance Scale asks people the extent to which they would be accepting of each group and attempts to measure the context.

The scale starts at close relatives by marriage ( would you marry this person, live next door or work with them etc.) ranging down via close personal friends, neighbours, co-workers, citizens, visitors and eventually to a group of people you would want to exclude from your country.

As a scale it has been around since 1925 and as you might expect more recent measurements show closer relationship patterns than when the theory was first proposed.

What I’ve been thinking about is – how different my world is to my parents and how it is possible to have close friends who may start as colleagues and friends but mean much, much more.

This is due to the frequency and ease of communications may even rate above the top tier (or pretty close to it) somewhere between close friends and family.

I call this the “who do I most want to share Christmas with test”.

This year has been another exciting year of journey and discovery. I got to work on a project in Africa (small beginnings but big plans – FirstSpaceFiber) a number of non-profits I like ( Cycle Action , TEDxAuckland, WordcampNZ , Arts Therapy et ors.) and some pathfinding ( OperationHQ) with clever, clever people just to name a few.

I also got to spend more time with people I like, love and want to spend my Christmas with.

In the words of the song

” I once lived for the future, every day was one day closer..greener on the other side.. I can give you the present… “

Stuff & Nonsense – Split Enz. (love the version by Missy Higgins)

Happy Christmas people. Love & affection.