Coffee with my favorite skeptic
Sometimes we just need to have coffee.
I was invited by one of my favorite skeptics to meet for coffee this morning. We met at 8:30am and spoke until 11:30am. 3 hours of conversation about how the world is changing, is it for better or for worse, how we need to adapt, and is social media waste of time when we need to be billing for our hours.
My skeptic gave me the best visual ever. He said that as he is reading
and attempting to be part of the social media world, every time he
hesitates he see me as his "Jiminy Cricket" urging him on.
As we discussed the opportunities to get vital information from a simple tweet on Twitter, he said - "a tweet is a wish your heart makes."
Alright - someone has watched too many Disney movies.
We discussed the importance of learning how to learn. 150 years ago people needed to know how to think on their feet, solve problems and adapt to the wilderness for mere survivor. Today we are dealing with a wilderness of information, and we need to know how to think on our feet, solve problems, and adapt to the wilderness.
Although both of us had work to do, a three hour coffee discussion was just what I needed to refresh my spirit and connect all the reasons why I am so optimistic about the future of the world.
Every topic that came up, from privacy issues to HR concerns we were able to explore the changes that needed to happen in the world and the positives of those changes.
The only dark side in my view of the future is the fear of those who remain ignorant. I fear that information in the wrong hands can be used to influence those who do not take the initiative to be life long learners and skeptics. I fear a world of sheep in an environment where a charismatic person can broadcast a warped message loud and wide.
I love that information is available to everyone to both find and contribute to. I feel that the participation of the masses is what protects us. I think, somewhere, deep down, that is what compels me to be such an advocate of participation by the masses.
Finally, I think besides taking the time to participate in online communities, we need to take more time to have 3 hour coffee conversations. Life shouldn't be all about business transactions and networking. Every now and then we need to have the opportunity to connect simply to explore what we do all of this for.








