Improved Lives

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In the video below, the presenter is Clay Shirky, who brings up an excellent point while talking at the 2008 Web 2.0 Expo. He says that the shocking amount of time that we spend watching TV is shrinking, and is being replaced by time spent online.

And being online is not just about absorbing, it’s about participating as well. We have all these great tools online for creation and participation, but we don’t use them enough.

Clay thinks that this will change though. He says that we will begin to use those tools to make and participate in increasingly amazing and beneficial projects, and I think he’s right.

Aristotle and Excellence

I also came across this paper on how to apply Aristotle’s idea of excellence to business. The authors emphasize that if we apply Aristotle to business, profit becomes a means, not an end. There must be something beyond profit or the pursuit is hollow.

Combine Clay Shirky with Aristotle and we get…

I think that if we combine Clay Shirky with Aristotelian business practices we get something really interesting. We get a blueprint for a way in which virtually all of us can contribute something meaningful to the greater community.

The blueprint looks something like this:

• A Tool - The internet, which replaces TV, gives us tools, a creative space, and a captive audience.
• A Goal - Aristotle and his ideas on Excellence gives us a mission: to be excellent and create something meaningful.
• A Reason - Positive psychology tells us that contributing to something bigger than ourselves, being creative, and striving for excellence are all activities that will make us happier, more satisfied individuals.

So with that in mind, you need to ask yourself some questions:

• How can I mould my skills and my interests in to something useful for others?
• Where can I contribute?
• Where can I volunteer?
• Where can I collaborate with others?

I think that if we all asked ourselves these kinds of questions, something really great could come of it, something much bigger than ourselves. Clay points out that Wikipedia came about because of this exact kind of thinking. So wouldn’t you like to be a part of the next Wikipedia? I know I would.

The video:

Further Reading:
- Meet the Next Business Guru: Aristotle

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