Arianna Huffington has been described as the most upwardly mobile Greek since Icarus. She closed a lively a day at the Media Learning Seminar by inspiring us to soar.

‘Information is the way to awaken apathy,’ said Ms. Huffington, invoking the Zeigeist of our digital moment. ‘We have wind at our backs.’

Quoting John Knight, the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, her mother, and herself (from her book, The Fourth Instinct), she encouraged attendees to engage with their communities, collaborate, unplug and recharge. Therein we find meaning in our lives, she said.

For her part, Ms. Huffington will now lead Patch, part of AOL’s national effort to inform and engage underserved communities, as well as The Huffington Post, which she co-founded. Some believe the AOL-HuffPo marriage will reshape local journalism. Other believe there are consequences.

Either way, we fly in Arianna’s shadow.

A post from the 2011 Media Learning Seminar. At Knight Foundation’s Media Learning Seminar, community and place-based foundation leaders meet with journalism and technology experts to explore the topic of community information needs. Follow the event on Twitter at #infoneeds and @knightfdn.