Internet, the knowledge of the world awaits you

This week has been filled with research surrounding business and personal decision making. As the intensity subsided a bit, it occurred to me just how quickly I could find information on any given subject due to the Internet and google. I mean, Holy Cow! Being raised in an era when the local library was the center of knowledge and research was done by collecting piles of books, correlating the findings into something reasonably understandable and putting together all that information in a conclusive way. Phew! Today, we boot up the old computer, type something into the subject line, click and there is the world's knowledge passing before us. Common place for those younger than I but totally amazing to me. My thinking is this: That information had to be inputted into the web sites by someone. At least in the beginning. You couldn't really lay a keyboard onto the pages of a book and have it absorbed could you? Thousands upon thousands of people collectively placed our sciences, knowledge and history into the hands of all of us. Hour after hour, after hour, day after day, etc. An incredible feat accomplished by people from all walks of life. The Pyramids were almost impossible to build until the collective efforts of hundreds and probably thousands of people worked together. With the computer we didn't have to enslave anyone, at least that I am aware of. Reading about the seven wonders of the world is made much easier by the eighth wonder of the world: the Internet.
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Some of my research involved other countries and cultures: Likes and dislikes, freedoms and restrictions, comparisons of lifestyles. Obvious as it is to many of us, I was struck by exactly why there is such a drive in backward, third world cultures to improve their lot in life. That drive wasn't so apparent only a few decades ago. The reasoning is that those backward cultures had little idea what existed beyond their extremely limited view of the world. No wonder those countries that have totalitarian governments limit or completely outlaw the use of cell phones, Ipads and computers. With so many people, inputting information 24/7 into our collective resources those regimes have much to fear. Actually it's only a matter of time. Sadly they will not go quietly into the night. Case in point Syria. Maybe even the United States in some ways. But, conquer tyranny it will. The dams of ignorance are being knocked down and knowledge is flooding the world. I find that incredible still.

If only the Internet came with standards of civility and morals and all things good. We're still sorting that out aren't we?