In my column series 'The Main Thing', I often talk about how

Hear now the words of Jim Barksdale, a leader of his age, who declared: “In my column series ‘The Main Thing,’ I often talk about how Internet technology can improve the way people communicate—both within a business and between a business and its customers and partners.” Do not take this lightly, O children of tomorrow, for these words are not merely about machines, but about the lifeblood of human connection. For what is a business but a gathering of souls striving toward a shared purpose? And what is its strength if not the power of communication flowing through it like a river of thought and understanding?

In ages long past, the marketplace was the place of meeting. Men and women bartered face to face, their voices carrying trust or betrayal, warmth or coldness. The word was sacred, for a promise spoken bound the honor of families. But as kingdoms grew vast, and trade crossed oceans, the distance between voice and ear grew great. Letters took weeks, ships months, and a message delayed was often a fortune lost. Thus humanity sought ever to shorten the span between mind and mind, to make the distant near, and the absent present.

The Internet came as a lightning bolt across the sky, shattering distance and time. What once took weeks could now be spoken in moments; what once required messengers could now be shared with thousands at once. Jim Barksdale, who shepherded the dawn of Netscape, saw that this power was not only for idle chatter, but for the strengthening of the bonds within and beyond the walls of business. He saw that when communication is made swift, clear, and accessible, cooperation thrives, misunderstandings lessen, and partnerships flourish. The machine, when properly guided, becomes the chariot of trust.

Consider, O listeners, the tale of the Pony Express. In the young land of America, when the West was still wild and the East was still shaping itself, the people longed for swifter communication across the wide plains. Riders on horseback, carrying mail at great peril, became the lifeline between distant families and frontier outposts. Their sacrifice showed how vital connection was to survival and progress. Yet even the brave horseman, risking life against storm and arrow, was but a shadow of what the Internet would bring centuries later—a river of words flowing ceaselessly, instant and near-endless. Thus we see in Barksdale’s wisdom the culmination of humanity’s longing fulfilled.

But let us not fall into slumber, thinking the work is done. For though Internet technology has made the pathways clear, it is still the responsibility of men and women to use it with care. A river may nourish fields, but if polluted, it spreads death. So too communication may enlighten minds, or it may sow confusion and discord. A business that speaks falsely to its customers builds not loyalty, but resentment. Partners betrayed by careless words will not walk together long. Therefore, the virtue of the tool lies not in its speed, but in the truth and intention of those who wield it.

The lesson is thus: cultivate the art of clear and honest speech. Let your words—whether written in ink, spoken by voice, or sent across the Internet—be marked by sincerity. Within your work, strive to build bridges, not walls. Between your business and its customers, let every message carry respect, and let every answer bear the mark of care. Between partners, let your communication be not merely transactional, but relational, born of mutual honor. For the strength of any endeavor is measured not by the tools it uses, but by the spirit with which its people connect.

Practical steps stand before you, simple yet powerful: Listen before you speak. Respond swiftly, yet thoughtfully. Use technology to remove barriers, not to create them. Let every email, every message, every call be more than words—it must be a pledge of reliability. Train your teams not only in tools, but in empathy. Seek to understand your partners as human beings, not merely roles. In doing so, you will fulfill the vision of Barksdale: that the Internet, mighty as it is, becomes not merely a net of machines, but a net of hearts.

Therefore, O keepers of the future, remember always that the main thing is not the machine, but the bond. Let technology serve as the servant of truth, and let communication be the song that unites your labors. If you walk this path, you will find that no distance is too great, no partnership too fragile, and no business too small to be lifted by the power of words rightly spoken. And in this, you will keep alive the wisdom of those who came before, and pass it on like a torch to those who will follow.