Sangha of Auspicious Companions

Wikipedia and the Ecology of Free Knowledge

Less than twenty-five years ago, people primarily consulted encyclopedias when they wanted information. Launched in 2001, “Wikipedia, is now accessed every day by more than forty-six million mobile devices and more than twenty-three million users on desktop computers.” Remarkably, it thrives due to tens of thousands of volunteers, and a skeletal staff who create and edit it within a few stated guidelines. Kevin Kelly, Wired magazine, says Wikipedia shows “how the underlying force of Nature’s symbiotic, mutual benefit pattern can operate when human intelligence and computer intelligence maximize each other’s attributes…” The article concludes: “The very act of connecting people’s minds on a global scale, with virtually no physical, geographical limit and no central authority, and with an open-ended, self-organizing feedback loop, is an evolutionary game-changer.”

Be The Change

Take some time to consider your connections. Do you need to renew or strengthen ties with old friends, or, maybe, make some new purposeful connections? Reach out, connect, and create a new future.