Building a Global Village in the 21st Century

The term global village is closely associated with Canadian author Marshall McLuhan and was popularized in two books he wrote in the 1960’s: The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man (1962) and Understanding Media (1964).

McLuhan saw the great advancements in technology that were taking place that would soon allow to us to connect across the globe with speed and ease. His predictions were remarkably astute, especially given that the technology he had at his disposal in the 1960’s pales in comparison to the technological riches that we enjoy in this day and age.

We shape our tools and afterwards our tools shape us.
— Marshall McLuhan

I feel fortunate to have been born at a time that has allowed me to witness major technological advances, including the birth of the Internet. I’ve always been fascinated by technology and the possibilities that come with innovation. I’m equally curious about the ramifications of technology and the impacts, both positive and negative, that it brings both individually and globally.

Isolation in Modern Times

Technology has given us tools to communicate with each other like never before. Ironically, I’ve noticed that our modern age has ushered in increased feelings of isolation for many. Rather than spending quality time with friends and family there’s a tendency to shift our focus to social media forums such as Facebook that, while potentially useful, are also inherently limited.

Additionally, more and more people are working independently or as part of a remote team than ever before and some don’t enjoy the genuine human connection that I believe is essentially to living a happy and fulfilling life.

Add to that the dizzying amount of information and media that is at our fingertips, and it’s not surprising that there’s a tendency to overindulge in the riches that the Internet provides, and to disconnect from each other in the process.

Generally speaking, I don’t think that most technology is inherently good or bad. It’s a collection of tools that can be used to waste time and spread gossip or to connect with our global neighbours and share valuable information and perspectives.

Meeting Face-To-Face

One technology that has taken major strides in recent years is video conferencing. I was involved in the development of a video conferencing system in the late 1990’s and remember how limited and expensive the technology was back then.

Nowadays there are high quality and inexpensive solutions available (my personal favourite is Zoom) that makes it possible for groups of people to have high quality video chats from wherever in the world they happen to be. All they need is a fairly modern computer or mobile device and a half decent Internet connection.

I’ve personally benefited greatly from this technology. For example, I’m a member of a wonderful Mastermind Group that meets on Zoom about once a week. We have plenty of laughs and I continue to benefit greatly from the wisdom of my virtual cohorts as I embrace personal and professional challenges. Equally gratifying is the opportunity to contribute to the great work that my Mastermind cohorts are doing.

Since March of 2014 I’ve also been leading video-conferenced courses through Zoom and have had the good fortune to meet and work with extraordinary people from all over the world. I’ve developed friendships with some of the people who have participated in my courses and have even met some in person. I’m quite certain that there are people that I never would have met had it not been for this technology.

Introducing HolisticProductivity.net

I started leading in-person productivity courses since 2009, inspired by the wisdom that arose out of my experience of coming face-to-face with and overcoming an aggressive cancer in 2008.

In early 2014 I added video-conferenced online courses to my repertoire, with the introduction of the Holistic Productivity for Mac & iOS course. This course spans about four months and the groups, collectively called Productivity Pods, are limited to ten people. To date, this course has been attended by some amazing people in North America, Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

A common question at the end of my courses is what’s next? People were often hungry for more and were motivated to continue to learn in a group setting. This website was developed in response to this need.

In addition to documenting my Holistic Productivity approach, HolisticProductivity.net offers video-conferenced workshops, seminars and courses that span a variety of topics. It's a place where people can come to learn, grow and connect uninhibited by geography.

Looking Towards the Future

While there have been great advances in technology since Marshall McLuhan’s time, I feel that technology is still very much in its infancy. I look forward to future technologies that truly get out of the way and allow us to interact in even more natural ways.

As technology advances, I also see the importance of staying true to our own humanity. I’ve been teaching yoga since 1999 and have had the honour of sharing ancient wisdom and practices with thousands of students. I look forward to continuing to share this powerful practice in this online setting.

Over time, my goal is to develop HolisticProductivity.net into a true global village, leveraging the power of technology as we create a learning environment that fosters inspiration and celebrates diversity.