This incredible dialogue was shared by Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing, and I really wanted to share it because of its message:
If you’ve been following Cory’s scholarly work (ok, books), you know that this conversation is going right down the middle of his alley. Jacob Applebaum is a fellow digital protector who is intimately embedded in this domain (considering all of the things that he works for), and who the domain needs millions more of. Though these activists have been working hard in their roles for many, many years, most of us are only recently becoming awake and aware to the eye-opening realities that should make us all think long and hard about what we consider to be “acceptable”.
Jacob poses an important question that I hear everyday, and one that I have been addressing to myself for quite some time. Politics only covers one side of the equation, but rarely has intelligent conversations on the effects that our votes, our actions, and our denials have on the rest of the world (as well as on us). All of us work in jobs and interact with people who force us to make choices that make our insides quiver with discomfort. If you know who you are, then you’ll understand the meaning of these inner quakes. Whether you do something to calm these tremors just might show how willing you are to embrace the “real” you and the world you yearn for. Clearly, we each have much to offer in The Department, the World.
So, what is that question that Jacob means? You’ve heard yourself and many around you state that it’s “not my department”, when they’re asked why they didn’t react to a situation that derails. But who defines what their department looks like? If you’re only considering your job description or your boss’s instructions, then you will be missing the key connections that link through other people’s departments who will be affected by your decisions. No matter the circumstances, you’ll have to look at yourself in the mirror and ask if you can live with your decisions. At the end of our lives, most of us would like to be able to accept the majority of our decisions as “good” at that moment in time…though it might be less equitable much later on in hindsight.
Listen to the talk by Jacob, because it’s an insightful talk about surveillance. Though he indicates the state (as that’s who he’s pushing against) as his target, the dilemma is all around us on a daily basis. We are hearing messages come from our organizations, our religious institutions, as well as our authorities telling us of our “duties“. But they are only looking at the duties through a rather selfish prism. They aren’t taking into account that the entire world is interconnected, and with the Internet it has become a global chain that has the ability to link us all together. But it’s clear that our actions and decisions are far-reaching, and need to be more thoughtful.
Digital activists see the world in a different light. Most see the digital domain as the so-called “land of opportunity”, not in the sense a tangible place of personal gain (though that’s entirely possible), but in the sense that freedom really does have meaning here. A place with no central control point, no area of domination, no censorship of thoughts or actions. Just each one of us living our our lives, while thinking of our impact on others. A community that understands the true meaning of sharing, not owning. Anarchy gets thrown around a lot, and yet the majority aren’t looking for complete chaos as they know that condition would be intolerable for human beings. They actually can interact in a fairly responsible manner when the need arises, collaborating for the greater good.
Perhaps, you’re asking yourself the question more an more everyday. Perhaps you can no longer tolerate the incessant inner quakes, and are seeking tranquility. Whatever the case, if you’re discontented, then perhaps your time has come to find out how you fit in the global puzzle. Because looking around at our current batch of leaders in key political and economic positions, it’s clear that there’s plenty of opportunity to make your ideas for change come to life. The only thing constant is change, and we’re in the middle of seismic awakenings globally. Now, we just need more people to step up to the plate to put up signs directly others down that different path that others are uncovering. When you see an action that makes you question, either do something to fix it or bring it out into the open. Especially if it’s hurting others in its path. Because you too feel that pain all the way to your core, and you want to make it stop.
As Jacob reminds us all, “The WORLD is your department!”
