Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ On the temptation to nuke everything and start over

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

People don't know this but I've reinvented myself several times in my life. It was easier and less dramatic in the days before the internet, but still just as important. I left everything behind when I packed a few bags, got on a train, and traveled some 3700 kilometers to my new home in Calgary. I had a similar experience when I packed everything I owned into a car and headed with my cat to northern Alberta, leaving everyone and everything else behind. And several more times. These experiences are life changing. They're not for everyone, but the possibility of changing everything and starting over is liberating. These days, I think, people feel trapped by what appears to be the permanence of the internet. You can't escape yourself! But maybe you can start over, as Audrey Watters and Kin Lane are doing. I wish them well; I hope they find a new community that works for them.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 24, 2024 10:04 a.m.

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