Recently I've heard a lot of people using the term "naval-gazing" in reference to the blogosphere. As is typical, the majority of people who use the term don't really seem to know exactly what it means.
In order to help them out, I have defined the term and posted my findings on Wikipedia for others to reference as research. (The term for this is "reverse researching," but I will leave it up to one of my readers to post that on Wikipedia.)
As a service to my readers who either have not heard of Wikipedia or who are banned from the site, I have included the entry material below:
Naval-gazing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval-gazing]
Naval-gazing, as both a term and an activity, originated in Ancient Greece and Rome. The wisest and best-informed person in the Ancient World was a woman named Oracle, and she lived at Delphi. (Needless to say, if Ms. Oracle were around today, she would be blogging.)
From her home in Delphi, the Oracle would issue decrees and directives on the big ideas and issues of her day. Her reputation for this increased to the point that many considered her to be divinely inspired, and she was hailed as a prophet.
Because so many people came to Delphi from around the ancient world to seek Oracle's advice, Delphi came to be known as the naval, or belly-button, of the world. (The scientists of the Ancient World considered the Earth to be in the shape of an orange.)
As travellers would gaze upon this beautiful city and home of the Oracle, "naval-gazing" came to mean "seeking out the answers and solutions to the big ideas and issues of the day."
For an example of a modern form of naval-gazing, please see the popular blog: http://sokratesplace.blogspot.com/.
20 February 2007
06 February 2007
Scaling Up the Economy of Ideas
Taking a quick scan over the comments to my last post (I have to admit that I typically don't have the time for more than a cursory glance over the comments) two things struck me.
One was that there is an interest in my reading public for my look at the big ideas of the future. Now I don't consider myself to be a Futurist by any rights--I'm not even a big fan of Sci-Fi movies--but I do have some ideas on what the big ideas of the future will be.
Appropriately enough, I will save those ideas for a future blog.
The other thing that struck me is that my readership is truly global. One commenter, Mr. Peng, had this to say:
"Bei shui che xin."
Now I don't know exactly what this says because I don't read Portuguese or really any other foreign languages, but I think I get the gist of it. In addition to Mr. Peng offering his thanks to me for blogging about the big concepts and ideas of today, he is asking me about globalism.
Now globalism is an important idea, and it is intrinsically related to the economy. To make things simple for you, economy is all about "wealth." Wealth is something that a country wants to take in and not give out--much like the wealth that you and I show by having a high credit limit on our credit cards.
So a country wants to import more goods and services than it exports in order to build up wealth.
Now that is where globalism fits in. If there are more countries on the globe with which to trade, then all of the countries can bring more wealth into their own countries.
So when they say "We are living in a global economy," they aren't just sharing a silly aphorism. It's actually true.
And judging by the international readership of this blog, we can also say "We are living in a global blogosphere of big ideas."
One was that there is an interest in my reading public for my look at the big ideas of the future. Now I don't consider myself to be a Futurist by any rights--I'm not even a big fan of Sci-Fi movies--but I do have some ideas on what the big ideas of the future will be.
Appropriately enough, I will save those ideas for a future blog.
The other thing that struck me is that my readership is truly global. One commenter, Mr. Peng, had this to say:
"Bei shui che xin."
Now I don't know exactly what this says because I don't read Portuguese or really any other foreign languages, but I think I get the gist of it. In addition to Mr. Peng offering his thanks to me for blogging about the big concepts and ideas of today, he is asking me about globalism.
Now globalism is an important idea, and it is intrinsically related to the economy. To make things simple for you, economy is all about "wealth." Wealth is something that a country wants to take in and not give out--much like the wealth that you and I show by having a high credit limit on our credit cards.
So a country wants to import more goods and services than it exports in order to build up wealth.
Now that is where globalism fits in. If there are more countries on the globe with which to trade, then all of the countries can bring more wealth into their own countries.
So when they say "We are living in a global economy," they aren't just sharing a silly aphorism. It's actually true.
And judging by the international readership of this blog, we can also say "We are living in a global blogosphere of big ideas."
27 January 2007
Looking Historically
Well, it's good to see that the new blog address is up and running. If statistics are true, and I have no doubt that most of them are, then it is about one out of every thousand blog readers who will actually muster the courage to post a comment. I'm pretty sure that with a blog as heady and intellectual as this one, the numbers are even higher.
By simple extrapolation, that means that this blog's readership is already well into the thousands. Congratulations, world, and welcome to a place of intelligence and big ideas!
Of course, not everyone who reads this blog really can understand all that it is about. A cursory scan of the comments for the last post will reveal that.
In my last entry, I brought in a little history and explained the reference to Sokrates, one of the ancient world's greatest thinkers and scientists.
Unfortunately, some readers took this a little too seriously and started conjecturing on history and historical figures.
Now history is definitely an interesting hobby, and I'm sure that there are many "historians" out there who enjoy the escapism provided by reading about musty and old events.
But studying the past isn't going to do much to help us understand and confront the big ideas and problems of the present and future. In fact, paying too much attention to mistakes made in the past may well encourage people to repeat those mistakes.
So please leave the history to the amateurs who know what they are talking about, and try to stay focused on the big ideas.
Because these ideas of the present, and this blog, will be what historians of the future will study as their own past.
By simple extrapolation, that means that this blog's readership is already well into the thousands. Congratulations, world, and welcome to a place of intelligence and big ideas!
Of course, not everyone who reads this blog really can understand all that it is about. A cursory scan of the comments for the last post will reveal that.
In my last entry, I brought in a little history and explained the reference to Sokrates, one of the ancient world's greatest thinkers and scientists.
Unfortunately, some readers took this a little too seriously and started conjecturing on history and historical figures.
Now history is definitely an interesting hobby, and I'm sure that there are many "historians" out there who enjoy the escapism provided by reading about musty and old events.
But studying the past isn't going to do much to help us understand and confront the big ideas and problems of the present and future. In fact, paying too much attention to mistakes made in the past may well encourage people to repeat those mistakes.
So please leave the history to the amateurs who know what they are talking about, and try to stay focused on the big ideas.
Because these ideas of the present, and this blog, will be what historians of the future will study as their own past.
12 January 2007
Culture Clash
I guess it was inevitable, but I have to admit that I am surprised by the swiftness of the attack. The truth truly is a beacon, and the bright light it emits has the unfortunate habit of attracting bugs.
My last post was commented on by "Anonymous," and if you have the stomach for it, you may wish to go back and check it out.
I wouldn't classify "Anonymous" as a hater...yet. Right now I would say that he (or she) is a critic. We'll see if that continues or if it is merely a chrysalis stage.
Haters want to destroy and consume. They are a darkness that sucks in and doesn't emit. Their existence is emptiness, and they seek to ruin insight and knowledge.
Critics are almost as bad as haters. Critics are small people with small ideas that they try to hide behind inquisitiveness and so-called questioning. Critics obfuscate the big picture, and their presence, if tolerated, leads to distraction and ignorance.
OK, "Anonymous," let me give you a little history lesson to satisfy your thinly veiled criticism:
Sokrates was a great thinker who lived in ancient Greece or Rome. He wrote his ideas down in books of papyrus in order to inspire untold future generations. He thought about and shared his views on the great ideas and concepts that have application to every time period. We don't know exactly how he died, but we know how he lived.
And we know that if he lived now, Sokrates wouldn't be writing books.
He would be blogging.
My last post was commented on by "Anonymous," and if you have the stomach for it, you may wish to go back and check it out.
I wouldn't classify "Anonymous" as a hater...yet. Right now I would say that he (or she) is a critic. We'll see if that continues or if it is merely a chrysalis stage.
Haters want to destroy and consume. They are a darkness that sucks in and doesn't emit. Their existence is emptiness, and they seek to ruin insight and knowledge.
Critics are almost as bad as haters. Critics are small people with small ideas that they try to hide behind inquisitiveness and so-called questioning. Critics obfuscate the big picture, and their presence, if tolerated, leads to distraction and ignorance.
OK, "Anonymous," let me give you a little history lesson to satisfy your thinly veiled criticism:
Sokrates was a great thinker who lived in ancient Greece or Rome. He wrote his ideas down in books of papyrus in order to inspire untold future generations. He thought about and shared his views on the great ideas and concepts that have application to every time period. We don't know exactly how he died, but we know how he lived.
And we know that if he lived now, Sokrates wouldn't be writing books.
He would be blogging.
05 January 2007
A New Blog...New Big Ideas
Some people make new year's resolutions for themselves. They make resolutions to do small things that affect only themselves--losing weight, being better parents, volunteering for charities.
My resolution isn't like that. My resolution is to revive my blog--this blog. This isn't like other blogs. As the subtitle says, this is an "archtypical blog" that seeks to explore the bigger picture, big ideas that have a resonance in modern society and even ancient societies.
My last blog had to be discontinued for a number of reasons. One was that its draw on my time was enormous. The writing itself didn't take a lot of time--I would only write a few paragraphs maybe once a week--but it's draw on my mental capacities and emotional resilience was enormous.
Sure there was also the "hater" problem. Some spamming roughnecks were intimidated by my resolve to blog about the important issues facing humanity. But they didn't bother me at all, and they didn't affect my resolve. In fact, it isn't a problem for me to ignore them and their small ideas.
Changing the name of this blog and not offering a link from my old blog should help the situation, but it doesn't mean I am running from the haters. To the contrary, I am facing the problem head-on by excluding these haters with small ideas that are so unlike my own.
Discourse is the most important thing--the only important thing--and by excluding haters and their ilk, I think that this blog can best achieve its goal of free and unfettered discourse.
So here's my resolution--blog. The world will only be a better place for it.
My resolution isn't like that. My resolution is to revive my blog--this blog. This isn't like other blogs. As the subtitle says, this is an "archtypical blog" that seeks to explore the bigger picture, big ideas that have a resonance in modern society and even ancient societies.
My last blog had to be discontinued for a number of reasons. One was that its draw on my time was enormous. The writing itself didn't take a lot of time--I would only write a few paragraphs maybe once a week--but it's draw on my mental capacities and emotional resilience was enormous.
Sure there was also the "hater" problem. Some spamming roughnecks were intimidated by my resolve to blog about the important issues facing humanity. But they didn't bother me at all, and they didn't affect my resolve. In fact, it isn't a problem for me to ignore them and their small ideas.
Changing the name of this blog and not offering a link from my old blog should help the situation, but it doesn't mean I am running from the haters. To the contrary, I am facing the problem head-on by excluding these haters with small ideas that are so unlike my own.
Discourse is the most important thing--the only important thing--and by excluding haters and their ilk, I think that this blog can best achieve its goal of free and unfettered discourse.
So here's my resolution--blog. The world will only be a better place for it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
