Overheard at . . . Starbucks

1/14/2014

“I gave up my cell phone.”

What? I couldn’t believe I’d heard correctly. Near me, someone was asking for a friend’s cell phone number and that was his reply. My mouth must have been hanging open, because he caught me staring and answered my unasked question. “I found myself paying more attention to it than to what was going on around me.”

Wow! I was in awe- the courage, the self-control, the… enlightenment bordering on Buddhist Arahant (the highest level of personal enlightenment achievable.) I was also intrigued. It led to a very interested and surprisingly down-to-earth discussion with this guy about the technological revolution.

Anytime someone throws NPR into a conversation you know I am hooked. So when this guy mentioned a show he’d heard describing the evolution of society through the Industrial Revolution into the technological one, I needed more. Searching NPR provided a number of sources on America’s great challenges and led to some finds such as Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think by Cukier, Kenneth and Mayer-Schonberger, Viktor, and Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Robinson, James A. and Acemoglu, Daron. But nothing pointed directly to the conversation we had about man’s evolution based on these two revolutions.

I suppose his reference is a bit like my overhears- a snippet of information which prompts deeper thought and consideration.

So while I can’t give you a link to reference, I can give you a bit more about our discussion. If I could sum it up in one sentence it would be- There is hope for artists. Here’s our train of thought…

The industrial revolution changed the way we work, lessening our need to focus on physical effort and instead direct work toward intellectual pursuits. The technological revolution is gradually lessening our mental efforts, allowing us to, what? And that is the question… what is left? If our bodies and minds are taken care of, this guy theorized that was is left is our emotions. Computers can’t emote (at least not yet). But we can…. So will our focus be on developing our emotional capacity? And if so, which area does this better than art?

Which brings us back to the idea of the cell phone and his giving it up. It is difficult to feel anything in a world where we are at least one step removed from what is happening around us. Rather than experience people we are with or react to the nature around us, it is now easy for us to hide behind the screen on our mobile phone or tablet. If what is demanded of us as artists, though, is a link to emotion, than we must break free of this boundary and step back into the world. We must focus on living moments with mindfulness and spontaneity so that we can translate meaning back to emotion.

And by translate, in my case, I mean write. And by write I mean type. Which I suppose means that I am not completely done with technology yet.

Cheers,
Deanne

NEWS... NEWS... NEWS

Betting Jessica and Untangling the Knot are now both available in PRINT - Find them at Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/e/B005YHFBQ2

Are you ready to give up your cell phone yet? Do you happen to know more about the NPR program mentioned? Leave a comment and I’ll enter you into a drawing where one lucky January commenter will win a copy of any one of Daniel Davidson's Travel Free Guides. Check back at the end of the month to see if you’re my winner. Please note –while I love and appreciate getting Facebook posts and Twitter replies, the comment must be made on my blog, using the blog form – this way all who see the blog post can engage in a shared conversation. Thanks.

(BTW - For those of you who don’t yet know of Daniel Davidson, he’s a travel writer with great advice on saving money while traveling. Check his website for more info: http://www.freetravelideas.com/)

NOTE: Thanks for all of the fun comments during the month of December. I am super happy to announce that is the winner of the $10 donation is Catherine Castle. A donation to my local Alzheimer's organization has been made in your name. Congratulations Catherine!

2 Comments

Maggie Lynch link

1/15/2014 04:45:49 am

The statistic I've heard is that the average American spends 144 minutes a day using their cell phone. That is more than two hours every day.

That is definitely not me. I have no land line, so my cell phone is my only talking phone. I use it to actually talk to someone about 3 times a week, usually around 30 minutes each time. Sometimes for as long as an hour if I'm connecting with a friend or family member I haven't spoken with for awhile). I use my cell phone as a GPS because I have absolutely no sense of direction and can easily get lost. As far as I'm concerned that is the best invention ever. On occasion, I also use it to text. However, I don't find texting easy and don't know all the short cuts and make lots of typing mistakes. So, I don't do it much except to let someone know I'm late or I've arrived at a meeting place early. My husband and our grown children tend to use it to share mutual experiences. Example, during a Steelers game, my husband and the boys texted what was going on during significant plays and their reactions. Nice way to enjoy the game together when they are over 3,000 miles apart. A constant phone connection for two hours would not have been practical.

I can't see giving up my cell phone. But I also can't imagine spend more than two hours every day on it. That is way too much time.

Here is an article from NPR that I've shared with others. I don't know if it's the one you are looking for, but it is interesting that people pay money to get away from technology. :)
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/07/05/198402213/at-tech-free-camps-people-pay-hundreds-to-unplug

Catherine Castle link

1/15/2014 10:52:02 am

I probably use my cell a couple of hours a day but not for talking. It's email, texting and internet access. I try not to use it at dinner with friends to check FB or email as some do. That's live conversation time.

BTY, I'd like to thank Deanne for her donation to the Alzeheimers Association, which was my choice of charity upon winning her drawing. Every bit helps to rid the world of this horrible disease.

Overheard at . . . Starbucks

Leave a Reply.

About Me...

Deanne Wilsted

Archives

Categories