I’m tapping the rim of my coffee cup, trying to connect the dots. The dots being the growing emergence of an overall sense of Community on the Internet, and my arrival on Canadian soil many moons ago. I’m almost sure a parallel can be drawn between the two. The tapping comes to a halt. What do you know, I am sure…

It’s no secret that Canada is widely regarded as a cultural mosaic. Here, an immigrant has the ability, and is encouraged, to retain their cultural ethnicity. There is a discernible feeling of interconnectedness, of community, amongst the Canadian folk, and this is no exception to newly arrived immigrants who, for the most part, are assimilated rapidly into this way of life.

In many respects, an immigrant can be likened to a piece of patchwork quilting fabric, delicately sewn together into a much larger design, each piece representing a sample of a different culture, religion, political affiliation, etc. All pieces are tightly wound to one another, interweaving with those whose roots built the foundation of this country; all forming an infinite pattern of diversity. At times, we complement. At times, we clash. Yet the more varied the patchwork design is, the more vibrant it becomes.

Applying this stream of thought to the patchwork of bits and bytes that is the Internet, the dots start to connect on their own. The Internet at its very best affords us human connection in a digital age. An age that can be at times, according to some, an exercise in isolation.  And let’s face it, humans yearn for connection. But while the Internet, in all its wondrous power, facilitates communication, this ease with which we engage with one another doesn’t always equate to a notion of togetherness. So, we’re left to seek it on our own, or to create it. It’s in this desire for connection that we drift towards one another, amassing the building blocks of togetherness. Of – you guessed it – Community.

But whether we’re setting foot on a new land, or speeding to catch up with traffic on the highways of the Internet, we seek a sense of belonging, of acceptance. Ultimately we find the flow, and just like that, we are weaved into the global We, regardless of our sex, race, or gender. To me, the Internet is just like a patchwork quilt, a work of art in progress, with enough threading to go around for everyone. Millions and millions of pieces of fabric make up its whole, some as wild and expressive as they get, others blending in with muted tones. Everyone brings forth their own piece of fabric to contribute, their own ‘I’ waiting to be hand stitched into the broader picture, the We.

Whether it is striving for assimilation into a foreign country’s fabric of life, or adding our voices as part of the online Community, we are constantly carving out our niche into the all-encompassing We.  And while the sheer force of the whole (the We, that is) can be greater than the sum of its parts, without these individual pieces, we’d end up with a bunch of loose threads. And that’s just a waste of resources and artistry, if you ask this Argentine-Canadian.

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