If an “armed society is a free society” and “the pen is mightier than the sword”, then the strength of a country’s bloggers might well be the mark of its freedom. Indeed, the measure of a people’s sovereignty lies in their ability to expose the truth and disseminate their ideas freely.
Throughout history the battle against tyrants starts with the spark of a message that ignites the flame of battle and ends in the tomes of history. Wedged between, are countless letters, speeches, and exchanges that provide the lens through which we view and formulate our opinions and reactions. So often, it is the tiny glimpse into someone else’s reality that ends up changing our own.
That concept was not lost on our Founding Fathers. They used every tool at their disposal to spread their message to every American man, woman and child. If they could have, I am pretty sure the First Continental Congress would have twittered the signing of the Declaration of Independent at #DeclareofInd and we might have seen tweets like:
JohnQ: RT @PatrickHenry Give me liberty or give me death
@ThomasJ @GeneralGeorge #bostonteaparty
#continentalarmy #concord
Or maybe:
Throughout history the battle against tyrants starts with the spark of a message that ignites the flame of battle and ends in the tomes of history. Wedged between, are countless letters, speeches, and exchanges that provide the lens through which we view and formulate our opinions and reactions. So often, it is the tiny glimpse into someone else’s reality that ends up changing our own.
That concept was not lost on our Founding Fathers. They used every tool at their disposal to spread their message to every American man, woman and child. If they could have, I am pretty sure the First Continental Congress would have twittered the signing of the Declaration of Independent at #DeclareofInd and we might have seen tweets like:
JohnQ: RT @PatrickHenry Give me liberty or give me death
@ThomasJ @GeneralGeorge #bostonteaparty
#continentalarmy #concord
Or maybe:
Towncrier: just heard my friend Paul Revere
raising the alarm about the coming British Army.
Retweet this and meet in the town square ready to fight
While the early American form of twitter might have involved horses and hard riding or shouting from the roof tops, the effect was the same; it shone a light into the darkest corners of the enemy’s camps revealing truths about their motives and plans.
The success of this communication was due, in large part, to its extensive distribution. Think about it, where would we be if our single acts of defiance were not shared? A single spark, no matter how bright, will eventually die if it isn’t fanned and spread by the wind of the like minded. Remember, it was the courage of that one lone student in Tiananman Square that stopped the oncoming tank. But it was the video of that event that sparked a world wide outcry against the Chinese government’s massacre.
Between tagging our photos on facebook and reading Ashton Kutcher’s tweets, social media can be seen as childish and trivial. But pause for a moment and realize its impact. Iranian men and women are broadcasting to the world the truth about what is happening within their borders. They have put their stories into the hands, or rather the handheld devices, of people thousands of miles and centuries of cultures away.
From smoke signals to Gutenberg’s Printing press to facebook, one thing remains constant. The Truth has a persistently stubborn way of revealing itself and that revelation is often our salvation.
While the early American form of twitter might have involved horses and hard riding or shouting from the roof tops, the effect was the same; it shone a light into the darkest corners of the enemy’s camps revealing truths about their motives and plans.
The success of this communication was due, in large part, to its extensive distribution. Think about it, where would we be if our single acts of defiance were not shared? A single spark, no matter how bright, will eventually die if it isn’t fanned and spread by the wind of the like minded. Remember, it was the courage of that one lone student in Tiananman Square that stopped the oncoming tank. But it was the video of that event that sparked a world wide outcry against the Chinese government’s massacre.
Between tagging our photos on facebook and reading Ashton Kutcher’s tweets, social media can be seen as childish and trivial. But pause for a moment and realize its impact. Iranian men and women are broadcasting to the world the truth about what is happening within their borders. They have put their stories into the hands, or rather the handheld devices, of people thousands of miles and centuries of cultures away.
From smoke signals to Gutenberg’s Printing press to facebook, one thing remains constant. The Truth has a persistently stubborn way of revealing itself and that revelation is often our salvation.
