Friday, 30 May 2008
Thursday, 15 May 2008
My Global Neighbourhood
When I was a little girl, television sets were not a common thing. It was quite usual for the whole neighbourhood to gather in front of a single TV. We had a TV and we always had guests when there were important events - football games, figure skating, Saturday night comedy programs and music competitions. And when there was a good film on, the people gathered in front of the TV set would comment on the film.
On Saturday evening a couple of Webheads gathered in Tapped In and watched Pangea Day together. We commented on the films and the music. The emotions and images on the screen spoke a universal language of love, hatred, pain, friendship, fear and more love. Each film was a masterpiece. The music was lovely. The highlight of my evening was "the heartbeat of the world" - an amazing global drum circle. Imagine drummers from all over the world performing at the same time. That was the moment when I really felt the presence of all those people on the Internet who were watching the event at the same time.
Yes, images are a powerful weapon. Can they bring us closer? Can they help us to see the world through the eyes of the people living at the other side of the globe? Well, there is hope. I am old enough to remember Live Aid and, while it didn't solve the problem of famine overnight, it did help. The real problem is that those who need to learn from events like these never watch them. I am sure that everyone sitting in front of their computers that night already knew that "people are the same wherever you go", as the good old song says.
Still, if we keep telling each other stories, singing to each other, laughing and crying together, we might wake up one morning and find out that our world has changed overnight. Call me a dreamer, but keep those films coming.
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