We live in a world of dominos. Everything that happens has an effect on whatever lies in it’s proximity. And that in turn nudges or bashes it’s own bordering universe of gadgets into motion. This applies not only to a physical universe of mountains and molecules; but to cultures as well. The social consequences of individuals and groups toiling towards some personal or communal goal will ultimately affect us all. The process will either attempt to sweep us up into the swarm or spew us out in the frenzied pursuit of its own ambition.
It pays to position oneself prudently in a world like ours. But the mere complexity of millions of actions and interactions makes it all the more difficult. Sometimes agility lies in smallness, and individuals can survive against all odds. It’s that ability to step back unnoticed that can be our salvation. It allows us the opportunity to fade into the landscape and watch the stampeding leviathans of civilization march blindly by . It affords us the time to analyze, to plan, or to at least sidestep some of the dangers that the brute force of society poses to us; particularly to those of us who, having spent most of a lifetime swimming against the tide of events that make up a life, have finally anchored ourselves to some stable rock from which we can reflect on the purpose of it all.
That’s what I hope this little island of bandwidth will facilitate.
