For better or worse, I believe each event Dr. Rog mentioned in class made a huge contribution to postmodernism. Most notably, though, is the advancement our generation is experiencing with technology. And I have to say that I don't like it one bit. Yeah yeah, I have a cell phone. And yeah, I have a computer that I spend way too much of my time on, but I hate that these things are taking up so much of my life, and of everyone else's lives.
I took a class last semester, Asian Religions, that opened up my eyes to a lot of new and very different ideas to the philosophy on life. And the one philosophy that I am constantly trying to follow is the idea of "Be here now." And that's the one thing I think technology isn't letting happen. Do you ever look around while you're walking to class? Is it just me, or are 75% of the people on cell phones talking and texting? I've even seen people run into things! As beautiful as our campus is, and as nice as the weather can be (not counting this week), I think it's a shame not to notice the trees and to really take in the fresh Florida air.
What I'm even more confused about is facebook. I have heard people honestly say that they spend around 3 hours every day on facebook. 3 hours! That's about 1/5 of the time we're awake in a day! Granted I have had facebook and I know how addicting it can be (that's part of the reason I got rid of it), but come on people. Have a conversation with someone instead.
And TV! Don't even get me started on TV.
I do appreciate all the great things we're experiencing with technology. Our world is more connected than it ever has been before, and technology's possibilities truly are endless. But with the good comes the bad, and I guess I just hope that no one forgets about the great things we have that we had even before technology, like a sunny day or a good book.
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I agree with you that technology can be sometimes good and sometimes bad, but overall, the advancement in our technology has prevailed. Even slight improvements and recent inventions make life so much simpler that we take it for granted now. Take TV for example. Most Americans get their news information from the morning or evening news channels, kids get their cartoon fix, and teenagers get their reality shows. If we want to watch something on TV, there's no question that something will be on. But that wasn't the case when TV just started. If you turned it on at 2am there would be static because the stations would be closed. We take it for granted that TV is always on, and now with recording devices, you can watch whatever you want, when you want at your own convenience. What did we do before the age of Tivo/DVR? And what about the remote control? I remember my mother always telling me the stories that she was the one who would always have to get up and change the channel on the actual tv set - what a concept? Imagine not having a remote, and watching TV in bed, and having to get up and switch off the TV to go to bed? We would think of that as being the biggest hassle ever, but that's what some people had to do! Maybe the invention of the remote control was the beginning of postmodernism?
And cell phones - who ever argues that they are bad, I will argue with you that they are life savers. Yes it's true people lived and got by without them for decades, but they are such a way of life and such a convenience now that the world wouldn't have it any other way. First of all, they are great in emergencies, if someone is lost and needs directions, and jus a way to share news fast. Maybe this was the beginning of postmodernism?
Even the Internet is a saving grace. Even though there are BS websites out there, think of all of the legitamte, respectable, and even entertaining websites out there that we use almost everyday. The Internet makes the world smaller, and to me, even a little safer because of all of these help-group websites because you can find someone out there who is just like you. Even e-mailing makes it possible for family and friends to communicate at any time during the day, even if you are on different timezones, continents, whatever. Maybe the Internet is the beginning of postmodernism?
-NewYorker
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