Lately, I’ve been pondering the idea of impermanence and how we have become a “throw-away” society.
Everything from clothing to containers to content has become disposable. Use it once and toss it in the garbage.
As a lifelong environmentalist and someone who tries to extend the lifespan and “value” of pretty much everything I use (e.g. I am currently wearing some articles of clothing that are old enough to vote), I believe a different approach is needed if we are going to get out of this death spiral in which we are currently spinning.
And I’m not just talking about consumer goods.
Even the content we create has become disposable. This article started as a post that had a lifespan of perhaps a day, then disappeared into the void amidst a pile of other material we read and let float away into the ether. Hence, it’s being republished here as an article – which LinkedIn will show to even fewer of you.
So, for the few of you who actually see this article, I would like to challenge you to do something different with the material you produce and consume today. Find a way to give it new life – or at least extend its life – by sharing it with others, by publishing it in a way that makes it more permanent and accessible for more than the briefest of moments, by adding your thoughts to these materials to make them have even more impact and help more people be better.
I’m not asking you to do anything with this article specifically, but to inject some new life into your own feed by lifting up other posts and breathing some air into them to let them live just a bit longer. Another great tactic is to go back to older materials and share them again. Many people haven’t yet been exposed to material you shared in the past which still has value and relevance. Re-write older material and give it a second life.
After all, we are only here for the briefest of moments. Might as well share as much love as we can.
Let us know how you’re embracing the idea of extending the lifespan of content and making a positive impact by dropping us a line.
