Excerpt from article in The Age (Melbourne Australia) today.
"What are television, email, chat rooms and blogs if not our lonely selves reaching out for comfort, approval, feedback and distracting noise?
The lie of each is that we can somehow feel connected by engaging in activities that are, at their heart, isolating. All the page hits, crowded in-boxes and voice mails cannot disguise the fact that when the power is off, we are alone."
Is this "heresy" or "truth"? On face value, many people would nod their heads in agreement to the sentiments expressed in this article, and I can see readers thinking "imagine those lonely hopeless souls sitting for hours on end in front of their LCD screens, completely lacking in social skills, unable to function as a robust participant in the cut and thrust of vibrant daily life".
I for one am very aware of the solitude (not lonliness) that can be found in engaging in writing my blog. IS it isolating? I think not. Do I feel connection with others as a result of my "gadget" related activities - YES! - Do I balance my "gadget" related activities with being in the "real world" - yes (I go to computer swap meets every Sunday! <joke>)... but I am now less tolerant of the noise, dissonance and pointlesness much of the so called "social interaction" that we expose ourselves to when we move away from our gadgets. I do not enjoy and consider it a huge waste of time to spend time with people who are the human equivalent of "static interference" or "spam".
When we connect with others in the physical world - for example at our work, gym, a NYE party, Chadstone Shopping Centre etc etc, are we not subjected to "interference" and distracting noise? Have you never seen lonely people in the street, at a coffee shop or at party? In Victor Frankel's book, "Man's Search for Meaning" he expresses the idea that the only true place of freedom and self-determination in in the mind of an individual - Frankel was subjected to the most brutal treatment as a prisoner of the Nazis and it was his ability to go to that place in his mind that no-one else could control that gave him his strength, will and sense of self.
I say the world would be a much better place if everyone stopped for a little time each day and reflected on their ultimate freedom, uniqueness and dreams - who was it that said "most people live their lives in quiet desparation"?
