of the wonder

[Alan Sondheim]

of the wonder


we should say this repeatedly: we love the net. it has grown unbelievably
over the past decade - what we take for granted today, could never have
occurred even fifty years ago.to be able to communicate world-wide and in
close to real-time - with all the faults and impoverishments - and to be
able to communicate within and without warzones. to be able to see someone
continents away, to be able to smile in awe at the presence of webcams
bringing the surface of the planet closer and perhaps more understandable.
the faults are endless, and we're all aware of them, to the extent that
our usual approach is a barrage of practical and theoretical critique. but
we should never forget what still appears as a miracle, a kind of
electronic alterity reaching almost to the stars, quietly bringing with it
new modes of communities, languages, genders, gatherings, and both saying
and speaking. we wake up every day to this, and we must remind ourselves,
constantly, of the beauty of this world, these worlds. otherwise we will
be lost forever. open your eyes wide to the net, love the new and still
fresh membrane of our lives. speak in whispers, speak in awe.


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