Saturday morning I woke up, and the first thing I read was Cory Doctorow's obituary for Aaron Swartz. As I read the early words from Lessig and others, I ended up crying more than I have in a long time.

The words, passion, and sadness that exploded online over the weekend is something I've never seen before, and since the unfairness of Aaron’s case and the legacy of his commitment to open access to knowledge have been well covered, I ended up writing about what I found uniquely special about his life, and what I see in our experience of his death.

While I believe that the ultimate cause of suicide lies with the choice of the person who pulls the trigger or ties the knot, I also think that the collective pain and anger we feel comes from a sense of shared social responsibility for losing such an amazing young person.

Free Culture + Social Justice

My own sadness may have been compounded by seeing Gabby Giffords the night before, or remembering the loss of another young passionate genius Ilya a little over a year ago. But there was definitely something special and unique about Aaron that I had felt from the very first time I met him along with Larry Lessig, Lisa Rein and others and the iLaw Summit at Stanford in 2003.

At iLaw, and then at a "Free Culture, Phase 2" conference (pdf report) I helped convene at American University two years later, Aaron impressed me as wise beyond his years, as well as uniquely committed to forwarding both the values of digital freedom and of social justice. (Below is a photo from that 2005 gathering.)

The rising movement for internet freedom is relatively unified in its value that all people having access to all knowledge is a good thing. We tend to believe that everyone making culture, everyone writing code, everyone governing themselves, everyone participating, is a worthy goal.

But there are many (mostly white male) internet geeks that stop there. What made Aaron special is that he also felt empathy for, and fought personally against, the unfairness and injustice that so many experience in our imbalanced world.

Honoring his Life, Remixing his Wisdom

Aaron documented an amazing quantity of thoughts and experiences during his 26 years on the planet. He has written words and paragraphs, code and software, and he's spoken clearly and powerfully. His 2012 keynote speech from the Freedom to Connect conference, is a particularly clear powerful voice that is ripe for remix.

And I think we, the internet generation, those who stand for a free culture and open society, who care about each other and care for each other, should build on Aaron’s source material, the gifts that he gave us in his 26 years.

The best way to honor his young life is to edit, package and share the wisdom he’s already documented. I invite us to listen for the nuggets, and make inspiring music and memes sourced in the wisdom and actions of Aaron Swartz.

As Tim Berner’s Lee reminded us in Paul Graham’s quote that could have easily applied to Aaron: “hackers are unruly. That is the essence of hacking. And it is also the essence of Americanness.” Let us continue to hack a more perfect union.

Disconnection & The Desire to End Life

We live in times of deep interconnection, of networked people. The technology platforms that people like Aaron Swartz have helped build are helping us to understand and feel that interconnection way beyond our immediate family and friends.

However, I also think there may be a downside to our constantly mediated experience of each other. Deep down, underneath the busyness of life, behind the fast talking and fast tweeting, in the stillness of the early mornings and the late nights, I think many of us can feel that sense of disconnection.

So in addition to celebrating the joy and inspiration in Aaron’s hactivism, I also invite us of the internet to take deep breaths, to put down our phones, step away from our keyboards, and be present to his depression. And to our collective melancholy as a culture.

Whether it’s the sadness for the suicide of our friend, the loss of 20 more school children, the murder of Trayvon Martin, the sexual violence in Steubenville and Delhi, or the continuing suicides of our veterans, there is clearly something happening here that we need to acknowledge.

There is pain and sadness in our lives. There is widespread depression and abuse. And yet we're understandably not really having that conversation on Facebook and Twitter. For all the benefits of technology, we kinda need to have these conversations in real life, face to face, with the people we love. Let us have those conversations.

Non-Violence in a Time of Breakdown

Over this coming inaugural weekend, many of us will participate in a national day of service to honor our most cherished leader from the 20th century, who used non-violence to open up empathy and evolve our nation’s founding spirit that all people are created equal.

During the same weekend, others of us are gathering to appreciate the right and freedom that we have to defend ourselves with guns against the potential tyranny of an english crown, of a militarized government, of national prosecutorial powers.

We live in very challenging times.

As our climate continues to change, and we continue to lose our loved ones in the inevitable cycle of life and death, we have an opportunity to be non-violent with ourselves and with each other. Our ability to deal with this breakdown in prayer, in meditation, in music, in conversation, instead of in argument, in fighting, in violence, in war … ultimately will come down to our choice to value listening to each other and being with each other more than being right about each other.

The times in my life when I have experienced freedom, are the same times when I've experience being responsible, not only for myself, but also for the impact that I make on those around me. Because ultimately, after we are gone, it is our gifts that make life matter. And while it is so sad that we lost him so young, Aaron gave us lots of gifts.

So as I move on with busyness of my week and the year, my commitment and invitation is to listen for the whole humanity and full wisdom of Aaron Swartz, his community, his friends, his family, his partner. Listen for the humanity. Connect it to Sandy Hook, to Martin Luther King, to Trayvon Martin, to Aurora, to Delhi, and even to Gun Appreciation Day.

Let us read, let us listen, let us remix … the life, words, code and memes to honor and remember the life and death of Aaron Swartz.