The Right Side of Impossible

Once upon a time, there was a world without the internet. People walked around the cities and towns with their heads upright. The world wasn’t necessarily a better place, but it was more difficult for dangerous and influential information to spread. The network of interconnected technologies today allows both good and bad information to rise up and draw our attention like moths to a flame. I realize I am stating the obvious to you as I recognize that I am using the internet to share some thoughts with you.

So, here we are, together in this complicated world. We are hyperconnected by our technologies, we are all powerful and seemingly powerless at the same time. Our ability to move mountains is based upon the words we use online, the videos or media we post and our influence on others. We are in a system which consumes human experience and exposes it to the world, but we don’t know what will be exposed and/or even if it will ever come to exposure. We don’t have control, even if we think we do.

Our global economy is now based on hyperconnected speculation and influence. The fate or our world and our future on it is also riding on the same. If global warming is popular and gets enough views on TikTok, it may get some temporary attention, but it will certainly be drowned out by something else in short order.

We had a global pandemic which still exists, but it doesn’t get as much attention anymore, so it isn’t as important. The emergency is now endemic and part of normal. The wars around the world are the same. Some would say that people have always been like this, and that our national and global divisions are just illuminated but the light of the network. I’ll argue that we may have had the potential for division, but we also had the same potential for unity.

The right side of impossible really means it is impossible to be on the right side. There are so many issues, social, economic, conservative and liberal that are upon us. Friendly dinner conversations are becoming more difficult even at the dinner tables of our own homes. Not only are we becoming more distant from each other and polarized by socio-political issues, we can’t even talk anymore. If we are going to survive on this planet for a while, we need to learn how to speak with each other. Historically speaking, wars were started, ended and prevented by words. The words become action and the action becomes the outcome. There are enough challenges in our world brought to us by nature that we need to come together and work to solve. Our fighting and division will be the end of us.

If we are to turn the impossible into the idea of “possibilities”, we need to realize our potential as individuals. We may also recognize that we do not control the network. This means, that we must believe that “I’m Possible” and that we have to live with the fact that possible is not necessarily probable. If we help one person, if our message for respectful dialogue and civil discourse can spread, maybe we can find the patience to hear each other at the dinner table. Maybe we can disagree but respect each other and work towards learning together. The most dangerous endemic of our time is our inability to communicate, we need to inoculate ourselves and treat this global catastrophic issue with kindness and constant effort to communicate with the best intent, love, understanding and empathy. If not for you, for those who will come after you. If we do nothing, we are part of the problem.

What do you think?

Happy 4th America,.. it is time to come together for ourselves and the world!