As you can see, I have been a little behind on my blog posts. In being behind on my blog posts, I can actually relate it to Ishmael and everything we have been discussing in class. As a Taker society, we say that we would never want to go back to the way of the Leavers because we have it so EASY. But is life as a Taker really all that easy? As far as our access to food, yes I would say we have it easier. As a Taker society, we can make one phone call to Taco King at 4:30AM and get the taste of authentic Mexican food within 30 minutes living all the way in Alaska. But is the way we live easier? In the sentence prior to this, I just mentioned at the touch of a button we can have food, but how removed and impersonal can you be from your food before it becomes to far?
Look at the 2 pictures I have pasted to either side of this page. The picture on the left represents a Taker "village" and the picture on the right represents a Leaver village. If I were asked which picture seems, not easier but clearer, I would undoubtedly choose the picture to the right. The picture on the left looks chaotic and full of "stuff" whereas the picture to the right seems clean, nature in its pristine form, untainted by our society. Have you ever taken a day, or even an hour, and allowed yourself to get lost in your thoughts in the woods? It is so peaceful, is it not? Have you ever been stuck in traffic, talking on your cellphone, and trying to merge lanes as you are running late for a class? Frustrating isn't it? When some Leavers see our world, they think how stressful, and they cannot believe how long we have survived this way without going crazy.
As Takers we rush from one destination to the next always rushed and everything always hectic. Because we do not have the time to sit and have meaningful conversations with the people we should, we give them a quick text or phone call instead. By doing this we miss out on the importance of actually interacting with people, and our cell phones and computers become our way of communicating, completely removing us from the emotional interactions we need. Computers and cell phones have allowed us to contact people at a much faster speed, but while doing so, has eliminated the personable nature of interacting. As humans, we are designed to need human interaction in order to survive on an emotional and mental level. In the Leaver culture, people depend on one another for everything. Their lives revolve around their families and the people around them, they are connected. In a Taker society, everyone learns that you must be an individual, that individualism is the only thing that will define you. Therefore, if you make it, you made it on your own, if you don't, you failed on your own. The little bit of reassurance you have for yourself is the text message a friend may send telling you it will be okay. There is a loss of community. Somewhere between the fine line of technology and actual face to face interactions, we have gone very wrong.
So, my explanation for being behind on my blogs? I am a Taker which ensures a life of stress and a busy monotonous routine. My computer has been broken and when I finally get the chance to come to the library to study and get onto the computers, I finish my other homework, check my facebook and e-mail, and when I get around to it I write a blog. But I am a Taker what else is expected? Children are born with cell phone in hand, facebook app already downloaded and already a competition of who has the most Cyber friends. Sound ridiculous? Look around, we are all living in this world.
Maybe I am happy my computer is broken, at first I didn't know how to live without it, but day by day I am seeing how it only contributes to my stressful life. I almost feel free not having to check my computer every two seconds, it is really liberating. Hopefully, one day everyone will see how ridiculous this all is, and maybe day by day we can all learn to be free.
*Last paragraph contains a lot of sarcasm as far as why I have not written any blogs yet. My computer is actually broken and I have been very busy. But there is no excuse and it is not because I was too busy checking facebook. Just giving an example of what the average excuse would be. I don't really have one :)
This post is amazing and made me laugh a couple of times! Anyway, you are totally correct with how lost we are in our technology. Although, it is very difficult for me personally to stay away from it given the fact that it is my major. I remember in class when people commented on cell phone use and I just found that funny as well. Do I have a cell phone? Yes. When did I get one? My first year of college. Was it voluntary? No. Throughout grades K-12 I did not have a cell phone and I was fine with it. I was always asked why I would rather not have a cell phone and all I could say was because I did not need it. But the reason that was brought up in class on why cell phones were evil and impersonal gave me a better way to answer that question. Continuing with my rant about cell phones, being as observant as I am, I see today's youths constantly glued to that stupid piece of plastic. I mean, it is incredibly rude to get out your cell phone when you are in a middle of a conversation just to check if you have a text message or check what time it is. To make a long story short, I am in agreement with your argument. Indeed, I think that people need to see the ridiculousness of all this, but in reality—ordinary people will never be willing to learn to be free.
ReplyDeleteAlexa, you post was fun to read, and I have to second everything Marco says. Except I got my first cellphone when I was 16. I am guilty of some of the points you two made: I am behind in my blogs, I spend too much time on technology, (though it is little compared to most of the Takers) and I attempt to have conversations while texting! :/
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, it is quite historical to see youth claiming they "need" a phone. This past weekend my 8 year old cousin asked his mom for a phone and she said no. Thinking she would feel sorry and give in, he asked, "Well how old were you when you got your first cell phone?!""25!" The argument ended there.
I feel technology is not all bad because there definitely are pros to having it. However I do hope the future culture will learn to use technology in moderation and realize living without soo much technology is possible.