Bandwidth

As I was enjoying lunch in a sunny corner of a Belgian pub in Vancouver, B.C., I overheard a conversation which included the creative use of a word which I now find very useful. The young adults at the table behind me were talking about a friend who was currently unemployed. Referring to his wide-open schedule, they described the man as someone who has a lot of “bandwidth” right now. I like that! I, too, have a lot of bandwidth during my current sabbatical, so I have been thinking about how this relates to me. Moreover, I have been thinking about how this could apply to all of our lives in a much broader way. Technically, bandwidth describes the speed at which new data can be received on a computer. Could it not also be used, then, to talk about our own receptiveness to new data, i.e. new ideas, new relationships, new perspectives, new knowledge, etc.? Could it not also refer to the openness in our daily schedule for unplanned encounters? Could it not also speak to the capacity within us to connect all of our senses to the physical environment we inhabit at any moment in time? As it is with any living language, I have already taken the word bandwidth and infused it with this broader meaning in my daily conversations. I am sure that others could do the same! In fact, that would be a very enjoyable subject to explore together, perhaps at a Belgian pub with a five page, single-spaced list of available beers. You talk about bandwidth!