What's in your pond?

A few days ago, I posted about how the presence of frogs in a wetland helps to show the health of that ecosystem. When I took that photo, I was on a walk on the property that hosted Railscamp. I took another photo that day, which I also thought I would share here.

On this one, it outlined how a human made sedimentation pond was designed to slow the pace of the water flowing through the wetland and allow waste to drift out of the flow of the river system. It’s a natural way to capture the stuff that otherwise would add to the poor health of the ecosystem.

Again, I couldn’t help but think about my own life and how this might offer some insight into the world we live in. I thought about but the flow of information. Especially, how information is currently moving towards a more stream based medium. Twitter, Facebook, Yammer and many other services have worked tirelessly to provide users a stream of content that they opt in for.

In the same way as the pond, we need to remain cognizant that not everything in your stream is always going to add to the health of your own ecosystem. What matters most is your attention, and how you direct that. Having a social stream in your life helps with directing and spreading your attention greatly. But every so often, it’s still important to stop every now and then and assess what’s in your pond and how you can make that better. Doing so will add to the health of the overall system you’re a part of, and encourage better flow of information and knowledge.