A Fire and the Thing of Things (ToT)

We had a three alarm fire at our historic Hale Library here on campus.

Alerts and updates were and are being promulgated to keep everyone informed and apprised as the fire unfolded, and now in its aftermath.

Throughout this experience, many caring folks sent emails, texted and called to see what was going and to find out just how bad it was. These exchanges occurred with numerous folks here on campus and externally (both locally and internationally). As I followed these, and in some cases actually participated in the dialogue there was much concern about the structure itself. There was concern about all the books housed in this beautiful place of learning we all have grown to love full well and what would become of all the things housed there. There was equal concern about all the IT infrastructure that resides in or should I say, resided in this building. You see, many of these things were affected by other things like fire, smoke and water.

As all of this unfolded, I was struck by an interesting nuance that played out in real time. Without getting in to new age semantics, much of the initial discussions centered on inanimate things. Books. Computers. The Internet of Things (IoT). But a very interesting thing occurred.  Almost at the same time, the discussion about things turned in to a discussion about people. 

In my case, before things got totally disrupted, I sent two emails to friends and colleagues. Both librarians, and yes humans.

The subject line was: Fire at Hale Library. The content of both emails was simple: “Are you ok?”

I was not the only one.  As the severity of the fire became known a fundamentally important reality set in.  More and more folks associated with our university family started asking how people were, if they were OK, if they needed anything.  The fire was just that, a fire.  The true and caring nature of the members of this family came out in droves as the concern about the fire and the things that would be affected were put into perspective.  The kind and caring compassion of so many for their fellow humans came out like a shining star.  

You see, as with all the others, I actually care about the people in my life. Not the IoT. Not the computers. Not the Cloud. Not the virtual nature of it all. Although those Things of Things are important and could be construed as essential to my existence, it really boils down to the one thing that truly matters the most. The human beings that are part of my life.

Those other things that make up the Thing of Things are just that. THINGS. And the one thing that mattered most was that the people whom we all care about were OK.

Put that in your IoT pipe and think about it.

Material things can be replaced. People cannot.

Fortunately the semester had just concluded and there were not the large number of students who would have normally found themselves in the library for any number of reasons. Fortunately not one person was hurt.

Despite the fact that our IoT has been disrupted, our access to emails made difficult, despite the monumental loss in things, and the inconvenience of it all; not one living soul was hurt.

And for that simple aspect of “A Fire and the Things of Things” now influencing my professional and personal life; despite the loss of things, despite the damage to physical things--I am grateful that the people I care about are OK.

For other works by Joel Anderson: https://www.bebee.com/@joel-anderson

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author