Internet Everywhere

Microsoft just announced that they were setting up free WiFi in a 600 acre park in Redmond, WA.

Now, you can go to the park and check your e-mail on your laptop.

Hmm.

I think part of the postmodern condition is to be overwhelmed by technology and to need to escape it. How often do you hear people say that they, "Need to get away from it all," or they, "Want to get back to nature."

People may not be so overt as to say they need to get away from technology, but sometimes they do say this.

What is it about our world today that causes us to need to get away from it? Is it technology? Or, is it the constant connection with the rest of the world? The unavoidable interconnectivity of the global villiage?

We are too connected to information and to each other. We need to "get away" from it just to find ourselves again. Because in the global viliage, we are no one, but in a forest of trees, we are the only one on earth.

What does WiFi in the park have to do with this? Everything.

As soon as we start plugging in to technology in our places of commune, we start missing the point of nature or of getting away. Pretty soon, we can't get away from interconnectivity and then what do we do?

The innate nature of virtuality is immersive. We get online and we stay there for a while because we're in control of what we do and where we go. And we can connect to others virtually via chat and e-mail. We can do just about everything online: we can get the news, connect with friends and family, we can date online and even have sex online. We can order a pizza to be delivered, get new music on iTunes and order movies on netflix.

The only thing we can't do online is actually have another real live physical person next to us. It is a solitary effort and one that separates us as much as it connects us.

This separation is part of the fragmentation of the post modern condition. Our lives are fragmented into little tiny boxes. Or big boxes like, "online life" and "offline life."

Our online life is overtaking our offline life. It scares me when technology gets so immersive that we can't get away from it without unplugging. It has to be an intentional choice to get away from technology and to unplug. But that is one choice that I don't think we're good at making yet.

Realism vs. Romanticism

The tension between realism and romanticism is tricky.

If you are too realistic, then you don't dream... you don't feel as much as you think and understand. However, realism-true realism-helps us to see things clearly. This buddhist concept of seeing clearly is much more difficult than it sounds and monks have spent lifetimes discovering how to truly appreciate and live in the NOW. Realism is a vehicle by which we stop dreaming and start seeing the NOW for what it is-exactly that. We are often so blinded by our own worldviews that we can't seem to find any other view than our own. For example, the President can't seem to understand that half of the country thinks he's an idiot for going to war and he just keeps rationalizing it with the same dumb excuses. (Sorry, maybe politics befuddles the matter to much here).

On the other hand, Romanticism gives inspiration to appreciate the NOW in a deeper, fuller way. The romanticists focused on the drama of the self. They were very self-important whereas the realists see their place in the world as insignificant, or at least, for what it is. Romantics see the world for what it could be. The dreamers give direction to society, but this direction is only pertinent when they have a firm grasp of what is really going on... and I mean going on in the real world, not just what is going on in their heads.

Thus, I must argue that the answer is not one or the other... it's both that are needed. I have hope that tempering realism and romanticism as a culture will help solve the evils in the world.

- Josh

Cognitive Dissonance 2

I found another quick answer:

"Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon which refers to the discomfort felt at a discrepancy between what you already know or believe, and new information or interpretation. It therefore occurs when there is a need to accommodate new ideas, and it may be necessary for it to develop so that we become "open" to them."

Taken from:

ATHERTON J S (2004) Teaching and Learning: Cognitive Dissonance and learning [On-line] UK: Available: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/dissonance.htm Accessed: 23 May 2005

I initially posted a reply to my own post with the above... I think that's silly. So here it is in the power of my voice.

Electronic Life

Yeah, sometimes, we need to have electronics. I'm thinking about music at the moment.

I'm a composer. I play piano and I sing. I also love to listen to music of all genres (well, almost). I get immense pleasure from sitting and playing the piano. I could even do this when the power is out. I feel like we should all do something each day that can be done when the power is out.

I remember once a while ago, the power went out and everybody in my family freaked out. I have to admit, it was rough to not be able to check my e-mail, but still I like to read as well. Books are another thing one can do without electricity...

Anyway, I digress.

So, reading books and playing piano-fun things to do and they are without electricity!

HOWEVER, I still need electricity. I really want to be ok without it, but I suppose that isn't possible these days.

I actually really like the fact that I can use my computer to listen to other music. Recorded music while I type my blog entry from my dashboard widget. Especially music that I can't play on the piano. I do get joy from this as well.

Balance is the key. I'll probably say this a lot. Temperance.