Desire to Communicate

Dr. Ron Burnett, President of Emily Carr University, and former teacher of mine shares his optimistic view of the Literate Future:

“The beauty of language is its flexibility and adaptability. The various modes of conversation to which we have become accustomed over centuries have a textured and rich quality that depends on our desire to communicate. That desire crosses nearly every cultural and political boundary on this shrinking earth. Rather than worry about whether text messaging will undermine literacy, we need to examine how to use all of the new modalities of communications now available to us to enhance the relationships we have with each other. That is the real challenge, quality of exchange, what we say and why and how all of that translates into modes of expression that can be understood and analyzed.”

What I take away from his closing paragraph is by simply having an open mind to our now multi modal existence, we may be able to better cherish and appreciate conversations, share knowledge and strengthen relationships; that the real challenge is to not waste our time and energy with mindless distraction. After all, feeling connected to family, friends and communities is the top sustainability issue for North Americans. Today, there have never been more ways to stay connected with one another.

I will be posting here more frequently, and am looking forward to it. Garnering information from multiple channels – feeds, tweets, newspapers, blogs and the SHIFT Report findings – to record and support the cultural shift to sustainability. It is happening, friends.