While Berry's ideas and thought processes are stimulating and actually quite similar to mine, I think a cloud of cynicism blocks his ability to see one very important aspect of community. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
At many points throughout the article Berry leans on community as what seems to be the last hope for any type of decency, mostly because he sees all other establishments as being corrupted. He even claims that the idea of the community is being slowly broken down. When referring to this process of attacking the community he says, "This process has been well established and well respected for so long, of course, because it has been immensely profitable to those in a position to profit." So according to Berry, not even our most sacred of constitutions is safe from money hungry, corrupt-- and to be completely blunt-- assholes. I, on the other hand disagree.
Don't get me wrong, I hate the government and equally corrupt organizations and believe that they are responsible for many of our modern day issues just as much as the next guy, however, I still, for better or for worse, place much faith in people.
I grew up in the quintessential Football oriented, elitist, shallow (the list goes on) town. Many people within this community were generally speaking, not very nice. So if there was a community to be classified as "being destroyed by the desires and ambitions of both private and public life..." it would be mine. And I personally accredit this to modern day issues brought on by media influences and skewing of morals. But somehow, my community keeps sending out good, well-rounded people into the world. So how is this? Like I said, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Every day everyone in every community has an overwhelming amount of influences coming at them and I, in my fantasy world, would like to believe the good, wholehearted ones sink in. Because after all, when I'm feeling the "self-consciousness, uncertainty, and fear" that Berry says is plaguing our communities, I don't switch on MTV to find solace and comfort, I go to the people around me: my friends, my family. While we live in an imperfect world with imperfect people, at the end of the day we do know how to "practice love when we don't feel it," and when we do. Face to face with someone in pain, we can't help but feel human, to feel love.
This also turns out to correlate entirely with our new community we have all become a part of, Ithaca College. The first few days, us freshman walk around, dodging eye contact and feeling the pull of self doubt and anxiety. But somehow we all make friends. Somehow, within this unquestionably imperfect society of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll, people look up, reach out. The fear and uncertainty is without a doubt real, but we are stronger than that. Basic humanity is above all negative influence. Conscience is undying. And no bond is greater than one that is built from courage and genuine empathy. No bond is greater than community.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Digital Me
How do you tell a whole generation, a whole culture, that the very devices that make their lives "easier" and more enjoyable are potentially contributing to the deterioration of certain higher brain functions? Furthermore, how do you get these people to care enough to make a change? Matt Richtell of the New York Times makes an attempt to use scientific evidence, but most likely it won't make a difference.
These devices such as iPhones, BlackBerrys, televisions, and many others are not only cool, sleek, and appealing, but cater to a lack of patience and appreciation for the "micro-moments" that make up any given day. It seems as though these technologies fit perfectly in this modern world and are here to stay, and evolve. In an interview by the New York Times, Sebastien de Halleux, co-founder of PlayFish, said, "Instead of having long relaxing breaks, like taking two hours for lunch, we have a lot of these micro-moments... [Electronic Arts] have reinvented the game experience to fit into micro-moments." Because these new developing technologies fit so perfectly into our every day lives now, it makes them that much more desirable and accessible.
Personally, I own a BlackBerry, a Mac Laptop, and many other devices that fall into this category. And although I use them as religiously as anyone else I feel remorse every time I spend hours on Facebook, or repeatedly check my phone while eating a meal with a friend. In my eyes, this is a never-ending conundrum. Every day I am faced with the option to reject such widely accepted and almost necessary behaviors, or to simply go with the flow and stay plugged in. Regrettably or not, nine times out of 10 I choose to stay connected, it is simply too easy. But at what cost?
Too often I and many other people elect to live in what is essentially a fantasy world instead of the one right in front of our faces. At the risk of catastrophizing harmless practices, I think that technology is rapidly becoming the best looking, most appealing monster we know. Frankly, users of modern technology, including myself, have so much trouble unplugging and leaving cellphones behind that it borders on unhealthy. In an interview with the New York Times, Henry Chen said when referring to his newly acquired BlackBerry which is meant purely for business, "It's become a demand, not necessarily a demand of the customer, but a demand of my head." That sounds to me like addiction 101.
Whatever it is, I strongly believe that technology is fine and can be very helpful, but in moderate doses and in a much more conscious manner than is generally practiced. So the next time you, I, or anyone else feels the subconscious pull to grab our phones out of our pockets, we should ask ourselves, how much is too much?
These devices such as iPhones, BlackBerrys, televisions, and many others are not only cool, sleek, and appealing, but cater to a lack of patience and appreciation for the "micro-moments" that make up any given day. It seems as though these technologies fit perfectly in this modern world and are here to stay, and evolve. In an interview by the New York Times, Sebastien de Halleux, co-founder of PlayFish, said, "Instead of having long relaxing breaks, like taking two hours for lunch, we have a lot of these micro-moments... [Electronic Arts] have reinvented the game experience to fit into micro-moments." Because these new developing technologies fit so perfectly into our every day lives now, it makes them that much more desirable and accessible.
Personally, I own a BlackBerry, a Mac Laptop, and many other devices that fall into this category. And although I use them as religiously as anyone else I feel remorse every time I spend hours on Facebook, or repeatedly check my phone while eating a meal with a friend. In my eyes, this is a never-ending conundrum. Every day I am faced with the option to reject such widely accepted and almost necessary behaviors, or to simply go with the flow and stay plugged in. Regrettably or not, nine times out of 10 I choose to stay connected, it is simply too easy. But at what cost?
Too often I and many other people elect to live in what is essentially a fantasy world instead of the one right in front of our faces. At the risk of catastrophizing harmless practices, I think that technology is rapidly becoming the best looking, most appealing monster we know. Frankly, users of modern technology, including myself, have so much trouble unplugging and leaving cellphones behind that it borders on unhealthy. In an interview with the New York Times, Henry Chen said when referring to his newly acquired BlackBerry which is meant purely for business, "It's become a demand, not necessarily a demand of the customer, but a demand of my head." That sounds to me like addiction 101.
Whatever it is, I strongly believe that technology is fine and can be very helpful, but in moderate doses and in a much more conscious manner than is generally practiced. So the next time you, I, or anyone else feels the subconscious pull to grab our phones out of our pockets, we should ask ourselves, how much is too much?
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