Tag Archives: social media

Nothing New

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“One of the things that’s really striking about philosophy is how interesting and insightful some of the philosophers of the past still are for the present, so it’s still interesting to look at Aristotle, still interesting to look at Rousseau, or Nietzsche today and think about despite the internet, despite the social changes, how many things they said still resonate …. I don’t think it’s obvious we’ve progressed, i just think we’re responding to a different situation.” — Nigel Warburton, Philosophy Bites podcast

I was listening to an old episode of Philosophy Bites last night, when Nigel Warburton, who was being interviewed by David Edmonds about his book, said the words quoted above. My ears perked up, simply because I think it is so true. Plato already covered everything , especially in political philosophy. As Alfred North Whitehead said, “All of Western philosophy is but a footnote to Plato.”

And it made me think about how there’s really nothing new in how we respond to current situations. For sometime now people have been complaining and/or worrying about how smartphones and social media are making humans less social. Time will tell if they truly make us less social, but remember when many articles were written about television ruining family relationships as each member had their own TV and were not talking as much as before they had the TV? The TV is still around, and there are still families who are together. Although it is true that people are always on their phone, they still find time to hang out with families and friends. People still try to reach out and meet in person — at least my family, friends, relatives, co-workers do. And judging from the photos in my social media, there are many people who enjoy spending time with other people.

Going back farther in time, Socrates thought writing was not good for the memory. But now people actually think that writing by hand helps us remember better than typing does. Maybe in the not so distant future, somebody will argue that typing is better than dictation, and dictation is better than the next invention.

I used to worry a lot about what the world would be like when the younger generation have become so self-absorbed and apathetic about certain things. But then I remember my mother’s generation and how worried they were about the same things, observing my generation. Of course they thought they were better than my generation. And now my generation think we are better than the current generation. And this current generation will think they are better than the next one.

So there’s nothing new. No new ideas, no new reactions. Just a different setting with characters who are under the illusion that they and their experiences are unique.

As Robert Browning famously said, “God’s in his Heaven,/All’s right with the world.”

Maybe not everything is alright in your world right now, but that will come to an end, for sure. Though good things come to an end, the good news is that bad things come to an end, too.

Blessings.

T.

Solitude in the Age of Smartphones

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            In today’s society, people are more comfortable with being physically alone, but only because they have their smartphones to keep them company. “Alone but not lonely” has taken another meaning. But when you come to think of it, people who are alone among strangers are not really alone when they have their phones that they use to communicate with multiple people at the same time. They are probably even busier than when they are in face-to-face communication with other people, because with their phones, they can multi-text, or multitask.

                I personally think it’s nearly impossible to let a day pass without using the smartphone. I know I cannot, especially when I am living away from my young son, and every day I video chat with him and my family to make sure everything is alright. Businesspeople would probably lose money or business if they miss a call or message from an important client. Employees and students may miss an important announcement. Truly I can understand how difficult it is for people who have already made online communication an integral part of their lives, to forego using it even for a day.

                However with people’s addiction to social media and online games to pass time, people are  getting farther and farther away from knowing the one person that they should know best: themselves. It is sad seeing adults posting numerous pictures of themselves and what they are doing on social media. One can forgive young people, as they are still growing and their brains have not fully developed (until mid-20s), and therefore, neurologically speaking, cannot be considered mature or be expected to act or think like an adult. But quadragenarians and older should know better (unless their brains, too, have not as yet fully developed.)

         With social media addiction, it seems people know more about what other people are doing than they know themselves. And that is all they know – what others are doing. They do not really know the person they are “following” (or  really, stalking) because, online, there’s hardly any sharing of thoughts, only small talk. Worse, social media can cause undue stress to people who post or read information, as everything that is made public can be commented on and used and abused by all kinds of people with all kinds of I.Q., E.Q. or mental condition.

         I am not against technology or social media at all. I know its benefits. I use them every day of my life. But I hope people will find a way to use technology and social media in more meaningful ways. They can certainly make our lives easier, and they should. Technology is supposed to help humans live more comfortable lives, not a stressful one. Technology has allowed us to have more time for ourselves, and this is one of the greatest gifts technology has given us. We can be more human – we have more time to think, more time to feel, more time to know ourselves and become better people.

     And we can only achieve that if we know ourselves first. We need solitude – not only to relax or relieve stress, but also to know ourselves better and be able to understand others better.

       Next time you have stress, try putting your phone away, be quiet and try listening to your heartbeat, and then to every single sound that you hear, be aware of every movement that you feel or see, every scent. Just be in the present. The more you do this, the sharper your senses will be. And you’ll know your body. And you’ll know and understand yourself. That’s better than sighing after playing Bejewelled, don’t you think?

“Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -Marcus Aurelius