In today’s digital age, we often see articles and content marked with “published” and “last updated” dates. These timestamps frame information historically, signifying a moment in time when a thought was first shared or last updated. However, for some, the journey of knowledge, opinions, and ideas isn’t static—it’s constantly evolving. That’s where the concept of the Living Touchstone comes in.
I coined the term “Living Touchstone” when trying to encapsulate what I do on TouchstoneTruth.com. It’s not a blog, nor a knowledgebase, nor a journal. So what do you call a place where one’s evolving thoughts—knowledge, opinions, and new ideas—are curated and updated? This is more than just a static body of work. It’s alive. It’s dynamic. It represents the very essence of a life lived through thought.
Knowledge: Evergreen Impressions
A Living Touchstone represents your personal accumulation of knowledge. Each piece of information is an impression gained through experience, study, and reflection. Like the concept of “evergreen” content that has gained popularity in recent years, this knowledge remains relevant, but more importantly, it grows and evolves over time.
Knowledge is not static. It builds upon itself. The more you experience and learn, the more robust your understanding becomes. With each new insight, you add a layer to your Living Touchstone, allowing it to remain vibrant and relevant.
Opinions: Choices Along the Way
Your opinions are the sum of the choices and perspectives formed throughout your life. While they represent who you are today, they are also malleable. A Living Touchstone allows these opinions to shift and change over time as new experiences and information come to light.
If we lived forever, perhaps our opinions would update indefinitely. Since we don’t, a Living Touchstone becomes a record of our viewpoint in this moment—a dynamic snapshot of a mind in motion.
New Ideas: Bridging Knowledge Gaps
Beyond opinions and knowledge, there are new ideas—those sparks of creativity and innovation that arise when we push beyond what we know. A Living Touchstone is also a space to capture and explore these new ideas, representing the gap-filling efforts that propel us toward growth.
These new ideas are the product of curiosity and the desire to innovate. In this sense, the Living Touchstone is a tool for thinking deeply, not just about what we know, but about what we could know.
A Future Vision: Digital Consciousness?
Though it’s not exactly a digital consciousness, one can imagine a future where a Living Touchstone could be used to create a digital representation of a person’s thoughts and ideas. Much like how James Earl Jones gave Disney permission to use his voice digitally as Darth Vader forever, the idea of a Living Touchstone presents the possibility of preserving a digital version of one’s mind.
While not truly “you,” an AI built from your Living Touchstone could mirror your thoughts, choices, and ideas—offering a unique form of digital immortality.
Why “Touchstone”?
A touchstone traditionally refers to a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized. It’s fitting, then, that the Living Touchstone represents the evolving criteria by which I judge my own thoughts, opinions, and knowledge. It’s not static or final, but always in flux—a living document of a mind at work.
In this way, the Living Touchstone represents a unique personal journey—a dynamic collection of evolving ideas. It aligns perfectly with the goals of TouchstoneTruth.com: a place for thought, reflection, and growth.
