on-the-go

My first thoughts as a "backpack" journalist (this is my first on-the-go blog, using my iPhone)... I'm sitting in a bar in Lille with no Americans for miles. For some reason, it feels quite homey. The bartender, Lou Lou can speak the same amount of English that I can French--pathetically minimal (considering the four years of French I took in high school). I manage to order a drink and out of pity, Lou Lou makes a faint attempt at small talk.

Staring off into space I realize I'm looking at a bright yellow sign that reads, "Quand l'ordre est injustice, le desorde est deja un commencement de justice." I guess those four grueling years of French class paid off in some way in that I am fairly certain the translation goes: "When order (law) is unjust, the disorder is just the beginning of justice." I'm not sure if I like the quote, or just my ability to comprehend it, but I think it is getting at something powerful. It is an optimists way of seeing the world today. It is a comment on the natural cycles of society and life. As the economy in the U.S. can very well be an example, decline is only the beginning of rise, and that is what we shall see soon enough.

To bring this to journalism, specifically online: the rise and growth of internet journalism "...est deja un commencement de justice." It is an exciting time in the history of the world, and we should look at it that way. Enough pessimism, it never did anyone any good.