So I watched @garyvee’s keynote at Big Omaha. I’ve watched most, if not all, of his keynotes and videos. I dig him, along with about one billion other people in the world. And as usual, I was impressed. As usual, I was inspired. As usual, I was pumped up.
But as usual, I was left feeling a little empty. Something is missing from this space. Then on a bike ride it hit me:
The internet can be a cloister.
Cloister, as in “safe haven from the real world.” Sure, great things go on inside it, but there is a world out there you’re not experiencing.
While I love all this technology as much as the next nerd/businessman, we have to remember something. We have to remember that while we’re immersed in developing the next business model, while we’re parked in front of Hulu, while we’re Tweeting ourselves silly, there are still starving children. There are still women being trafficked into prostitution.
Rather than remaining locked up in our technology, whether playing games or making millions, we need to break out and put this to good use. If we can leverage the money-making, whuffie-creating power of the internet for the good of all people worldwide, we can do something mind-blowing.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not against playing games or making millions.
But don’t get locked inside the cloister. Don’t forget that while you sit in a big comfy chair hooked into Grooveshark, Twitter, Facebook, and Hulu while signing a six figure advertising deal, there are real people hurting. Some are hundreds of miles from you, some are ten minutes from you. But they’re there. They don’t have a Facebook account. They don’t have a Twitter space in which they can ask for food in 140 characters or less.
Will you help me figure out how to mobilize people to help the starving, the hurting, the helpless using these awesome new tools?
Sam
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