Water: everyone’s information

Two metaphors on the importance of propagation, dynamism and ethics in information

First metaphor

As I look at the dense stream of water flowing under the Isar Bridge, I try to understand its causality and quickly realize that my naiveté is greater than my ignorance. In other words: Of course, we all learned in elementary school what the water cycle is, but we do not even dare to quantify the mixtures, impurities, influences, or even the beneficiaries / influencers / actors, in short, the figures that permeate / benefit / depend on its entire dimension. If we elevate this whole observation to the status of a metaphor, in these times of rapid acceleration and instant consumption, we could even say that water contains information for all and is thus an essential source of life.

Let us do a simple mathematical exercise: if we calculate the considerable amount of information that populates our daily lives, through the little lights that incessantly fill our palms, plus the list of tasks we have to do at home to take care of our children, plus insurance and financial obligations, in short, various bureaucratic/financial/logistical issues, plus all the additional worries that our employer has reserved for us, we would undoubtedly say that this is a lot of information. So it is up to us to think about the impact of this information and the benefits of having access to selected sources of information, in this case purified water. We could say that the improvement of a society’s altruistic behaviour through the altruistic sharing of this information results from the benefits derived from the quality, processing, and selection of the information sources, as well as from (comparative and recurrent) hindsight in evaluating the present.

Don’t you think?

Second metaphor

Let us see. If you will allow me, I would like to draw on another metaphor to explain the meaning of “water information.” I refer to the relationship between the Samburu people — an ethnic group from Kenya — and elephants and water. As strange as this constellation may seem at first glance, the relationship that links them reveals much. In other words, the families of the Samburu people, confined to a barren desert, live in constant cooperation with these great animals in search of water, the vital mineral elixir. The amazing ability of evolution has endowed the elephants with an extreme sensitivity — through their keen sense of smell — to detect the particular odor of fresh water. Thus, guided by the footprints of these giants, the families of the Samburu people discovered access to the coveted wet in the depressions they left behind.

Two interesting questions arise here. These are:

If both the elephants and the families of the Samburu people have quenched their thirst, why do they continue to work together?; and,

if we locate this relationship in a vast desert in Kenya, where the volatile and ephemeral sand once again interrupts the indispensable route, how can the families of the Samburu people follow the elephants again without traveling unnecessary distances and without jeopardizing their survival?

Both questions have the same answer:

Coexistence!

It is the sharing of water that makes them members of the same team. The families of the Samburu people have several troughs (small water tanks) that they refill every time they fetch water. Thus, the water-thirsty elephants quench their thirst there, set out to find water, and lay a new trail for the mineral elixir.

These two metaphors illustrate the nature of life in relation to the nature of things. Information that is vital to us must also be passed on with the same quality and vitality with which we receive it, because if our thirst is not quenched, there are many other avenues to discover.

Responsible sharing, dissemination, dynamism and ethics in the communication of information in what we now call a community spring from the brilliance of this respect for coexistence.

SUPPORT MY WORK — LOVE BIG DREAMS

If any of the extensive work already done has resonated with you, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Perhaps we can develop projects together. By supporting all the work already done and in development, you will support the creation of content in areas related to Cinema, Media Arts, Information Systems and WebScience and Technology.

Buy me a coffee or/and Patreon me

Thank you very much for your support.