When posed with the question could you live without technology for a week at first I said in my head "hell yeah that's easy." Then... I thought about how much I listen to my ipod and thought "does no technology mean no music?!" With that thought I continued with.. What if people didn't have technology? They would have no way to get music, TV, advertising.. pretty much anything to us!
In Feed, the characters are in the hospital with no way to access the feed. They are left to stare at empty walls and in the quiet. If you have ever been in the hospital, you know the feeling. Quiet. Sometimes I feel as though the only place to be left in the quiet is the hospital.
There are many times that I feel as though I want to get away, turn off my phone, and sit by myself. But then when I try, I find out it is close to impossible. Even when people take vacations to "little cabins in the middle of the woods where it is quiet and snowing" they soon arrive to a television in every room and extended phone service.
In my opinion, I do rely way too much on technology. And I have found as I try to focus on classes and work it is even harder to get away from it. We constantly need to be on the computer or "listen to this and tell me what comes to your head" or "watch this clip and write a paper." This reminds me of Feed when the children have schooling through the feed, no writing, no paper, purely technological. This is definitely the future of our schooling system (minus the chip in our brain.. for now.)
I'm not going to say that I will fail at the Thoreau challenge, but I will say that by the end of the week I may be beating my head on a wall from withdraw. =)
For now.. Here's music.. because this is the only website I'm allowed on.
"There are many times that I feel as though I want to get away, turn off my phone, and sit by myself. But then when I try, I find out it is close to impossible."
ReplyDeleteI feel you on this one! There have been so many times when I just wish I could sit around and do absolutely nothing but listen to the quiet. I just want to escape from everything around me and just think about how beautiful it is outside and how peaceful it is...but of course, not going to happen. I hate being alone, and I feel as though being on the computer or on my phone help me feel like I'm not alone because there is ALWAYS someone on the other side ya know? I wish that I could just turn things off and just relax, but you're right...it's almost impossible. Music is also a big part of my life. Music is definitely a way to express yourself and show your emotions. As a dancer, we chose our type of dance due to the music we were using. It's so cool to express yourself through your body as well as the music you are using. Getting rid of music would be torture!
You might consider going to a live concert or listening to a symphony orchestra :) That would be acceptable!
ReplyDeleteI really envy the fact that you even thought to give this challenge at try. I would've never been able to give up the things I rely on everyday. My cell phone, my facebook, and the Internet in general is something I just can't get unhooked from. It would take rehab for something like that, and it is sad that that is the case for me and many of the population today. In regards to not being able to listen to music even though it's what helps you get through everyday life, I feel that that is something you shouldn't give up, it is something emotional for you and helps you instead of harm.
ReplyDeleteYou brought up the part of Feed where the characters were in the hospital, which was one of the most intriguing parts of the book to me. It was so funny to me that they had to spend time in a hospital for a condition that would be considered nothing less than normal/healthy today. Basically, they were unable to function without the feed! They acted like it was the end of the world when they didn't have the feed to think for them and make decisions for them. Sure, I definitely agree with you that being in a quiet/lonely hospital room could be tough, but I don't think it was the "quiet" that was disturbing the kids as much as it was not having their feed functioning properly, which essentially just brought them back down to life as WE know it. Except we're fully capable of functioning without a "feed", obviously. So, I just thought it was funny how the kids were in their "unhealthy" state which, today, would just be considered a normal state. I'm glad you brought this part of the book up!
ReplyDelete"Even when people take vacations to "little cabins in the middle of the woods where it is quiet and snowing" they soon arrive to a television in every room and extended phone service."
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you made this point! I recently went on a vacation with my extended family to "bond" and the second we got there we all synced up to a network. If I wasn't checking my newsfeed my mom would be BBMing a friend from home. Its ridiculous to think how addicted to technology we really are. And its even more sad to think how disconnecting seems nearly impossible.