Not Dead Yet
Hmmm. Where to begin.
First, I am not sure that I have killed anything (yet). I am still blogging , and I still use a telephone. So I do not think we need to abandon all technology (yet). There are certainly proper and improper usage for things such as cell phones. I think I am approaching an acceptable practice of blogging both here and at our communal page. I do not know how to use a cell phone properly, most likely because I have a general aversion to telephones.
Second, I am arguing from a position of weakness here. I do not know how to go forward. I am not sitting here waiting for someone to ask me "How do I go on?" so I can tell them all they need to know. I would very much like to know that myself. I am merely pointing out that modern "conveniences" often warp the very thing they are intended to preserve. I seriously doubt that this is a very innovative claim, and I know it is not very constructive.
Third, I am not advocating a "minimalist" approach to community. We need not pare away every single thing that is not a perfect representation of what relations are meant to be. If we did so, we would certainly be very alone. We would do well to be cautious in how we use our tools, how we approach our neighbor, and how we interact with our friends. This does not mean that "incidental" contact is time wasted. It is just hard to be anything other than "incidental" if we do not take care to be intentional.
First, I am not sure that I have killed anything (yet). I am still blogging , and I still use a telephone. So I do not think we need to abandon all technology (yet). There are certainly proper and improper usage for things such as cell phones. I think I am approaching an acceptable practice of blogging both here and at our communal page. I do not know how to use a cell phone properly, most likely because I have a general aversion to telephones.
Second, I am arguing from a position of weakness here. I do not know how to go forward. I am not sitting here waiting for someone to ask me "How do I go on?" so I can tell them all they need to know. I would very much like to know that myself. I am merely pointing out that modern "conveniences" often warp the very thing they are intended to preserve. I seriously doubt that this is a very innovative claim, and I know it is not very constructive.
Third, I am not advocating a "minimalist" approach to community. We need not pare away every single thing that is not a perfect representation of what relations are meant to be. If we did so, we would certainly be very alone. We would do well to be cautious in how we use our tools, how we approach our neighbor, and how we interact with our friends. This does not mean that "incidental" contact is time wasted. It is just hard to be anything other than "incidental" if we do not take care to be intentional.
posted by matt at 3:23 PM
1 Comments:
true that... but what you're talking about takes work... and who really wants to work?! Sick-o!
I like the comment you made, "that modern "conveniences" often warp the very thing they are intended to preserve." I recently heard someone speaking on how ridiculous it is that Americans feel that we need more time and more money... We have more time saving conviences at our disposal than at any other time in history (if we need milk, we don't gotta grab a stool and sit under the cow for half an hour... if we want clean laundry, we throw it in a box and come back 90 min. later--we don't have to walk down to the river and scrub the clothes ourselves). And as far as the money thing goes, we live in one of the wealthiest nations in existance: If you own one car, you're among the top 10% wealthiest of the world's population, and if you own 2, then you're in the top 5%!!!!!
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