Colleague and friend Mark Smedinghoff reminds me that people and communication are what’s important about technology — not the latest gadget or app or update. The reminder comes in his moving, heartfelt essay to the memory of his dear sister Anne, killed in a suicide blast in Afghanistan. Anne was working on a literacy project for the U.S. State Department when she died in April.
In his blog post, Mark writes about the days following Anne’s death and things he’s come to realize since. He ends with this eloquent passage:
So now I have, and I hope that the governments of this world, the tech companies of this world, and most importantly, the people of this world are able to realize that by working together, supporting one another, we are able to build a world so much better than if we try to lock others out. So while we go back and forth over who has the best platform, I say, don’t work to tear others down, work to build everyone up, because innovation is the savior of the human race from all adversity. Even if it’s just saying, “hi” to a friend halfway around the world, or working to solve one of the biggest problems we face as a species. We can only do it together.
Read his essay and think about the walls, electronic and otherwise, that we all build. Let’s innovate to build everyone up.
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