Stuck in our narrow understanding of what it means to be human.
So it looks like my previous post was kind of prophetic- my flight from Vancouver was delayed causing me to miss my connecting flight from Hong Kong to Manila. I now have a 5 hr lay over and a massive headache due to the turbulence during my flight and lack of sleep.
I am not a happy camper right now, but my mood has been lightened by the great accommodation provided by Cathay Pacific's Business Class Lounge. I took a shot of Jack Daniels to shake off the headache and ate a plate full of dumplings.
I sort of regained consciousness after the shot and the decent food in my stomach, then I realized I still have 4 hrs to kill. Good thing I had my tech travel kit with me. I pulled out my iPad mini, checked my emails, sent emails to family that I am alive and ok and even shared my location thru foursquare :-) Now I am writing this post. I am still struggling to come up with a topic to write about. It has been a fairly quite news day for tech so far save for the bad news that HTC One shipments will be delayed because HTC is not a real priority for many of its suppliers. A sad news, especially if you are like me excited to get my hands on the HTC One.
I am looking around me and I realized that almost everyone here is wired in some way (on their laptop, tablet or smartphone). Some people are even switching between typing something on their laptop and checking their smartphone from time to time. Couples travelling together are sitting in front of each other wired on their individual devices. Some people consider this the sad state of our social reality. That in our age today, we are more engrossed in our online activities rather than on real world social activities like having a face to face conversation. Some people have even called for an international movement to dedicate one day each week to be unplugged. I am not sure if this will gain traction and honestly I hope it does not.
I find it weird that our society today could be so addicted with efficiency and productivity but at the same time so averse to the tools that allowed it to achieve such levels of efficiency and productivity. Many people seem to be stuck in the idea that man and machines are two separate entities and that Man is still in control. This Man-centric ideology believes that man can, and should, be able to easily turn his back on the machines he has built to stay in touch with his humanity. This ideology has at its core the belief that machines are mere tools we can turn off anytime without any real Human consequence. I find this ideology completely detached from reality.
If you are one of these people, just consider this very simple exercise. At the start of your day, count the number of machines you rely on for simple human activity (ie. alarm clock, microwave oven, radio, tv, phone, etc). Once you have done this accounting (machine-activity), ask yourself this question- if I get rid of all these machines do I have a viable substitute for them that would still allow me to complete my daily activities? Most likely your answer will be no.
This realization can be very daunting and scary. When I first realized my true dependence on machines I felt very small. I felt powerless. I felt stuck. Then I asked myself: what have I gained with the help of these machines? and am I willing to give up these gains? The answer for me was simple.
The reality is, I am not stuck- we are not stuck. The technology we have created around us enhances our lives for the better. Humanity and the idea of what it means to be human needs to evolve too. The common apprehension amongst people regarding our dependence on machine is an antiquated view of what humanity is. Humanity is no longer about physical human contact. Meaningful engagement can be had even thru virtual realities not only thru traditional human conversation. We as a society need to re-think how we deal with our own humanity in light of technological progress. If we continue to insist on our dated view of humanity, then we will truly be stuck and all this innovation we see today will all be for nothing.
So please continue to be connected and wired and remember that this does not make you less of a human being. In fact it makes you transcend your physical human limitations.
I am not a happy camper right now, but my mood has been lightened by the great accommodation provided by Cathay Pacific's Business Class Lounge. I took a shot of Jack Daniels to shake off the headache and ate a plate full of dumplings.
I sort of regained consciousness after the shot and the decent food in my stomach, then I realized I still have 4 hrs to kill. Good thing I had my tech travel kit with me. I pulled out my iPad mini, checked my emails, sent emails to family that I am alive and ok and even shared my location thru foursquare :-) Now I am writing this post. I am still struggling to come up with a topic to write about. It has been a fairly quite news day for tech so far save for the bad news that HTC One shipments will be delayed because HTC is not a real priority for many of its suppliers. A sad news, especially if you are like me excited to get my hands on the HTC One.
I am looking around me and I realized that almost everyone here is wired in some way (on their laptop, tablet or smartphone). Some people are even switching between typing something on their laptop and checking their smartphone from time to time. Couples travelling together are sitting in front of each other wired on their individual devices. Some people consider this the sad state of our social reality. That in our age today, we are more engrossed in our online activities rather than on real world social activities like having a face to face conversation. Some people have even called for an international movement to dedicate one day each week to be unplugged. I am not sure if this will gain traction and honestly I hope it does not.
I find it weird that our society today could be so addicted with efficiency and productivity but at the same time so averse to the tools that allowed it to achieve such levels of efficiency and productivity. Many people seem to be stuck in the idea that man and machines are two separate entities and that Man is still in control. This Man-centric ideology believes that man can, and should, be able to easily turn his back on the machines he has built to stay in touch with his humanity. This ideology has at its core the belief that machines are mere tools we can turn off anytime without any real Human consequence. I find this ideology completely detached from reality.
If you are one of these people, just consider this very simple exercise. At the start of your day, count the number of machines you rely on for simple human activity (ie. alarm clock, microwave oven, radio, tv, phone, etc). Once you have done this accounting (machine-activity), ask yourself this question- if I get rid of all these machines do I have a viable substitute for them that would still allow me to complete my daily activities? Most likely your answer will be no.
This realization can be very daunting and scary. When I first realized my true dependence on machines I felt very small. I felt powerless. I felt stuck. Then I asked myself: what have I gained with the help of these machines? and am I willing to give up these gains? The answer for me was simple.
The reality is, I am not stuck- we are not stuck. The technology we have created around us enhances our lives for the better. Humanity and the idea of what it means to be human needs to evolve too. The common apprehension amongst people regarding our dependence on machine is an antiquated view of what humanity is. Humanity is no longer about physical human contact. Meaningful engagement can be had even thru virtual realities not only thru traditional human conversation. We as a society need to re-think how we deal with our own humanity in light of technological progress. If we continue to insist on our dated view of humanity, then we will truly be stuck and all this innovation we see today will all be for nothing.
So please continue to be connected and wired and remember that this does not make you less of a human being. In fact it makes you transcend your physical human limitations.
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