An illustration from twitter on how our interconnectivity can be useful and edifying.
This morning I was working on translating a bit of Biblical verse for a memorial service. This not in my typical range of activities. Because of the complex manuscript traditions, the strong modern feelings and attachments, and the myriad ways in which any translation of the Bible might be misconstrued, we tend to avoid it on this site. But when I was having trouble, I reached out to some friends on twitter and in like 30 minutes learned about tools online I didn’t know, the history of the translations of Ecclesiastes, Hebrew grammar, and had a great conversation along the way. So, here’s the record. Twitter may exist in part for potentates to light garbage fires, but it can work for good too…
https://twitter.com/Scaevola67/status/926413968666775552
https://twitter.com/Scaevola67/status/926416058013057028
https://twitter.com/Scaevola67/status/926418529397723136
https://twitter.com/Scaevola67/status/926422558974595074
https://twitter.com/Scaevola67/status/926421014703235072
https://twitter.com/Scaevola67/status/926424247890792448
It may not be a total garbage fire, but there is no doubt that Twitter, like all things, is just ‘vanity and vexation of spirit.’
But seriously, you’re right about its potential value. Think about how long this would have taken as an epistolary exchange 200 years ago!