In Martin Buber’s “I
and Thou” a distinction is made between experience and relation, which
corresponds to the distinction between I-It and I-Thou relationships. I’m not
going to elaborate on these terms—I’m just mentioning them here because the
point I’m about to make is just an internet-savvy riff on Buber’s ideas.
These days I get most of my TV and
music from the internet, and I use two different methods: streaming and
downloading. Now, I’m not going to get technical, mostly because I don’t know
much about how streaming or downloading works. Here’s what I think I know:
Streaming requires an open
and active connection. Streaming requires that I use the computer I’m streaming
with, that my internet connection remains continuous, that I stay on the
website I’m streaming from, and that the website is working.
Downloading does not require
this kind of connection. Once I’ve downloaded my video or audio, then I could
very well use that file even if the website crashes, even if the internet is
down, even on another computer once this one is dead.
Ready for the metaphor?
Many of the most important things
in life must be streamed, not downloaded. There are very few things that can be
obtained and then possessed forever. Love must be streamed. I can’t simply have the love of a partner or friend; I
can only seek out, again and again, interactions and connections through which
that love is shared. I’ve been finding recently that joy too must be streamed. Happy
memories and recent achievements are pleasant, but joy is a here-and-now
experience. I can only feel joyful when I am present, and when those things or
people that bring me joy are also present.
There are some necessities that
appear to require only downloading, but this is an illusion. For example, food:
at the grocery store, I get the illusion that I can purchase this food, and
then it’s mine, to be eaten as I like when and where I like. True enough—but the
availability of that food depends on civilization maintaining an open and
active (I think the buzzword here is sustainable) connection to our natural
resources.
What else must be streamed rather
than downloaded?
