Local is Global
Just a quick thought here. My observation is that the more you delve into the cultural and social treasures of a specific place, the more connections you create to the outside world. It's a paradox, but seems true from watching fellow Abundance League members who've made a point of gaining expert knowledge of a specific place and people. This eventually leads to the wider world. This seems to be happening to me as well. It's eye opening for someone who moved from one suburb to another many times as a kid, which is not unusual in the U.S. In a strange way, mobility isolated me from the larger world. I never became interested in the places I lived because I assumed I would be leaving soon. Not being connected to the local cut me off from the global. I guess it makes sense, there has to be an interface to the global, and local is where you jack in.
I like this posting!
18 Mar 2009
Hmm, good question Eric. I think the design of a network should flow from the goal of a network. That's always our starting point at FAS. So what would be the goal of such a network?
17 Mar 2009
Great point, Neal. How could we create interfaces that
short-circuit the local and the global? Right at the moment I am exploring how Shapeshifters could possibly collaborate with venues in different parts of the world in order to create physical places/interfaces that donīt exist yet. Itīs all about new communication patterns.
28 Feb 2009
Just wanted to add that I held an event that brought together global travelers from my town and people shared their stories. Talk about blurring the lines between local and global. Wow. You've got to try that sometime. You'll feel like the whole world is in the room with you. The sense of wonder and possibility was palpable.
25 Feb 2009
Miyamoto Musashi said something like "from one thing know ten," and maybe it's the I Ching that says "to know one thing well is to know all things...." Anyway, there's something here about our local world being the analog of the world at large.
01 Apr 2009
Neal,
one simple goal could be the exchange of best practices. Social innovations that work in one place might have relevance for other places, too. Call it sustainability of knowledge.