The OctOPUS blog – from OPUSalbums.com 

People come; People go - What has happened to all those people you have met over the years?’ 

Last Saturday I spent a substantial time pruning and archiving my  (and my wife’s) Mac Contacts database – which gets replicated round phones and iPad by Mobile-me.    What started off as some 11000 people on Outlook on the  old PC all of whom either of us have had some personal contact is now down to 1800 – and some of those even are questionable.  That excludes the 7000 names that are on my e-commerce database, only the most active of which are on my who get (or bin or unsubscribe) from OPUSalbums.com’s newsletters, and another 4000 on Twitter and my favourite business networking site Ecademy.  (PS if you are an independent anything, I highly recommend this).

So who have been these people, whose names, addresses e-mail contacts have been built up over the last 25 years?   - ever since contacts ceased to be in Filofaxes and Rolodexes. For me there have been former colleagues, the many customers for printer supplies in Europe who we had – or at least talked to, from the one-man-bands to the dozens of functionaries in larger companies – mainly Staples and Office Depot in our case - none with any authority, but you had to keep happy as part of the privilege of being one of those company’s minor suppliers.   And there was the top management – those whose job was not to say ‘Yes’ – but who could seriously damage your business if they said ‘No’.  Then there are those you met up as part of consulting projects – actual or planned, the people we met at conferences, meetings or had a lot to do on social networks such as Ecademy.   There were many Chinese – suppliers, potential suppliers and business partners.  For the latter we invested so much in guanxi only for it to evaporate overnight. Then there were – and I value these a lot – old school and college friends who I have been able to make contact with thanks to Friends Reunited, Linked-in, Facebook and Ecademy.  Then as former head teacher of an independent school, my wife’s contacts surround teachers, and those parents and pupils who she wanted to keep in touch – and only a few did.  Together there are the service people at home, people we have met on holiday or at social gatherings, extended family members.  And for us, much surrounds our Christian group – a small, but tightly knit group of like-minded believers who know that they are a totally insignificant part of the one Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What of the people who are left on the list?  I am past retirement age, so do not feel the need to cultivate a list to further business.  These are people whose contact details I want to have readily available – and copied across computers, iPad and phones.  Yes it includes some of my friends at Ecademy – it includes people I have known for many years and we don’t want to lose contact with – I call it the ‘Christmas card list’.   It includes people who you might want to refer to for advice or further contacts.  It includes many from our Christian group – and some who have left it but are still in contact.   If we valued these more we would do the best to keep in touch.

Of the rest, most you look at the name and say “Who on earth was…?”  - people whose paths crossed with mine and are now gone and forgotten .  And they would have forgotten me too.

What sort of people?  I suppose most would be regarded as decent and honest.  There were some involved in charity; there were some who were real crooks who took me – or at any rate my company for a ride.  There were Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus; some of no religion at all.  Alas there were Christian crooks!   They were all people though – with successes, problems, with families too.  Most of course I knew almost nothing about –but had had first impressions of them all

What has happened to these people?   Some alas are no longer with us.  What has been their eternal destiny?  Otherwise how are they doing.  Some will be with the same company.  In these turbulent times they may, like me have gone through a few changes.  Some will have had crises.

I have forgotten most; likewise most will have forgotten me.  Maybe I did not value them as persons like I ought to have done.  God has forgotten none of them.  He knows even the number of the hairs on their heads.  As Jesus said “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”  Luke ch12 v6-7 KJV

But what did I impart to them – as a person and as a Christian with hope?  It is a challenge I need to consider.