Nothing More than an Idea

Civilization is the process of reducing the infinite to the finite.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
I spent this week in some 200 year old villages in South East Asia. Grass thatched their roofs, palm fronds made up their fences. But at the same time there was a great sense of appreciation for ideas. In fact, one village had only 2 radios and they were the lifeblood of these people.

You would think that with all of the dynamic interactive media we have, we would be more appreciative of information . . . but instead it makes us more warry and more closed to new ideas. Information overwhelm us and block us from seeing truth. Yes, information is not necessarily truth. Imagine that.

Each day that I create one more piece of content I wonder if I am simply participating in the annilation of the idea in the developed countries of the world. Are ideas rejuvinating us or sweeping over us like a tidal wave?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Some ideas can lead to market trends that can sweep over people, places and cultures (e.g. Walmart). But I think a lot of our wariness is a kind of "idea shock." A specific idea can lead to a worldview-change, and we resist that. Its like culture shock. That's part of the whole thing over ID vs creationism vs evolution right now. Both sides have "idea shock" - they are reacting by moving away from each other, and rather than dialoguing they immediately dismiss each other.
"Idea Shock" - that is a very appropriate title for what we see happening around us. To continue on your idea, I think that we are such a knowledge-based culture now that ideas really guide and shape our entire context. My ideas about any one topic will put me into a particular grouping of people. So we resist having our ideas define us.

But at the same time we enjoy being around people with the same ideas and ways of looking at the world. That is one of the reasons being generous with our minds is so difficult. If am only talk with people who feel what I feel and know many of the things I know, then what's the point in sharing?