I think the element of making connections abroad and learning from each other really resonated with me. If you google ‘best things to do in X city or place’ verrryyy rarely do the searches flag up with activities where you’ll meet locals, and instead often push you towards touristy things that sometimes may actually harm the local community. This feels deliberate too.
Thank you. I have been feeling something like this but didn't have a way to conceptualize it...along with the world shrinking our sense of wonder about the world is eroding (see Laura Munson for more). These things poke at our basic humanity and yes, with less space and less time we connect less deeply and less frequently. I am listening hard to this.
You can find out about the world by books and other arts—I’ve met people who live in small towns in Mexico who work in the airport, or in tourism, and learn English…they are endlessly curious, fascinated by events, read a lot, watch American movies, talk to tourist, learn bits of other languages, etc. The world is interesting to them—but they don’t need to see it as mysterious or far away—they connect to it, they learn. But they also spend lots of time chit chatting with their local friends at night. They are very tied in with their community, they live in multiple dimensions. I don’t think we need to see the world as vast or unknown or mysterious to be connected. It’s nice to travel but you can get so much from talking to people, reading, and so on. The cosmopolitan style of thinking comes naturally to some people, and always has—before electricity even there was curiosity, and communication, and imagination. It seems very complex how we maintain or lose the sense of connection with other people or with community. Technology plays a role but there’s something more than that going on. It’s a way of thinking and seeing people that people may lose…but I’m not sure how they lose it.
I visited Cuba twice a decade ago and hope to return someday soon. Thank you for documenting not only the international & cosmopolitan nature of Cuban society but also the dystopian social hellscape being created by American industrialists. Keep up the good work!
My mother once told me that the Khoran says that, as the distance between two cities is shortened, the end of the world draws closer (or something like that.) I don't know if that's actually in the Khoran but never the less I think about it from time to time...
We should go back to the authentic sharing economy that was all about finding each other in real life thanks to technology and an extra dose of trust. Creating real communities and doing our best of what we already have.
I think the element of making connections abroad and learning from each other really resonated with me. If you google ‘best things to do in X city or place’ verrryyy rarely do the searches flag up with activities where you’ll meet locals, and instead often push you towards touristy things that sometimes may actually harm the local community. This feels deliberate too.
good thoughts!
Thank you. I have been feeling something like this but didn't have a way to conceptualize it...along with the world shrinking our sense of wonder about the world is eroding (see Laura Munson for more). These things poke at our basic humanity and yes, with less space and less time we connect less deeply and less frequently. I am listening hard to this.
Another splash of fresh air. Thank you for sharing this.
I hunger for human connection and spend so much time wishing I had more friends and less time on this device
You can find out about the world by books and other arts—I’ve met people who live in small towns in Mexico who work in the airport, or in tourism, and learn English…they are endlessly curious, fascinated by events, read a lot, watch American movies, talk to tourist, learn bits of other languages, etc. The world is interesting to them—but they don’t need to see it as mysterious or far away—they connect to it, they learn. But they also spend lots of time chit chatting with their local friends at night. They are very tied in with their community, they live in multiple dimensions. I don’t think we need to see the world as vast or unknown or mysterious to be connected. It’s nice to travel but you can get so much from talking to people, reading, and so on. The cosmopolitan style of thinking comes naturally to some people, and always has—before electricity even there was curiosity, and communication, and imagination. It seems very complex how we maintain or lose the sense of connection with other people or with community. Technology plays a role but there’s something more than that going on. It’s a way of thinking and seeing people that people may lose…but I’m not sure how they lose it.
I visited Cuba twice a decade ago and hope to return someday soon. Thank you for documenting not only the international & cosmopolitan nature of Cuban society but also the dystopian social hellscape being created by American industrialists. Keep up the good work!
My mother once told me that the Khoran says that, as the distance between two cities is shortened, the end of the world draws closer (or something like that.) I don't know if that's actually in the Khoran but never the less I think about it from time to time...
Love this! Especially resonate with how cars have made our cities so disconnected.
We should go back to the authentic sharing economy that was all about finding each other in real life thanks to technology and an extra dose of trust. Creating real communities and doing our best of what we already have.