In the beginning I really wanted to fight against his thought process. But ruminations a year later lead me to believe that he was pushing us to see beyond the accepted. Is technology really our friend? Will it inhibit our ability to memorize? To communicate face-to-face effectively? I am not sure Postman was totally against technology, however he was warning us about its effects. He warns about becoming "tools of our tools."
While many would agree that one of the most universal and significant tools for the transfer of knowledge is writing (of many kinds), argument over the usefulness of the written word exists however, with some scholars skeptical of its impact on societies. Postman demonstrates the argument against the use of writing through an excerpt from Plato's work Phaedrus. In this excerpt the scholar Socrates recounts the story of Thamus, the Egyptian king and Theuth the inventor of the written word. In this story, Theuth presents his new invention "writing" to King Thamus, telling Thamus that his new invention "will improve both the wisdom and memory of the Egyptians." King Thamus is skeptical of this new invention and rejects it as a tool of recollection rather than retained knowledge. He argues that the written word will infect the Egyptian people with fake knowledge as they will be able to attain facts and stories from an external source and will no longer be forced to mentally retain large quantities of knowledge themselves.
I think of novelists such as Austin, Twain, London, Salinger, Mitchell, and many others; and their infinite vocabulary. They "knew" what they were writing. Today, our vocabulary is so mundane, repetitive and awful. I watch this generation coming up and they can barely spell let alone write a coherent sentence. By no means do I place myself aside from this, for I have so much yet to learn.
Then I watch this curse sneak into our everyday lives. The advent of texting, IMing, online dating, social media and other forms of computer mediated communication has further driven FtF out the door. People hide behind a wall of CMC in order not to be embarrassed, to flame, and/or exchange messages they would never exchange in person.
Recently a friend vowed he was no longer going to communicate with girls via texting because it took emotion and other things out of the conversation. I am not sure how that is going for him. But I worry that we place so much emphasis on CMC that without it, we believe the other person to be indifferent to our feelings.
There is also another person in my life that will pick a fight via text rather than say anything to me. This person is part of the younger generation and it bothers me that they are OK with this kind of communication. CMC has inhibited our ability to properly resolve issues in through FtF. Our ability to communicate our feelings has been detached through the use of technology.
Recently I have watched as people use Facebook as a form of communication to let the world know of their relationships, lack thereof, martial issues, happiness & unhappiness with the world and everything in it, and a host of other things. What has the world come to?
George Bernard Shaw wrote that the average person today is about as credulous as was the average person in the Middle Ages. Postman writes, "In the Middle Ages, people believed in the authority of their religion, no matter what. Today, we believe in the authority of our science, no matter what... We believe because there is not reason no to believe... Technopoly deprives us of the social, political, historical, metaphysical, logical, or spiritual bases for knowing what is beyond belief."
Studies have been done that people believe more of what they read on the internet than anything else. Communication travels so fast that stories about our relations can be twisted and incorrect in a matter of minutes. We can publish "our side" and get people's opinions, thereby adding a dimension of defamation to the other party.
Elder Russell M. Nelson recounts this story:
"As we Brethren travel about the world, sometimes we see worrisome scenes. On a recent flight, I sat behind a husband and wife. She obviously loved her husband. As she stroked the back of his neck I could see her wedding ring. She would nestle close to him and rest her head upon his shoulder, seeking his companionship.
"In contrast, he seemed totally oblivious to her presence. He was focused solely upon an electronic game player. During the entire flight, his attention was riveted upon that device. Not once did he look at her, speak to her, or acknowledge her yearning for affection.
"His inattention made me feel like shouting: “Open your eyes, man! Can’t you see? Pay attention! Your wife loves you! She needs you!”"
He goes on to say that he could have totally misread the situation, however, perhaps not. The perception to others seemed that he was oblivious and that his gaming machine was more important to him than potentially valuable one-on-one time with his wife. How sad.Then he states, "But these things I do know: I know “that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” 1 I know that the earth was created and that the Lord’s Church was restored so that families could be sealed and exalted as eternal entities. 2 And I know that one of Satan’s cunning methods of undermining the work of the Lord is to attack the sacred institutions of marriage and the family."
I firmly believe that Satan is using something so beautiful to destroy. The rise of pornography, false information online, and other garbage has shown how quickly something good can turn to something bad. Satan wants to ensure we are unhappy in life, "happily" single, unmarried, and that if we make it through the gauntlet and get married, that that too is destroyed.
I love what Elder Nelson gives as a help and guide to make things better in our lives. Whether we are married or not, I believe they will help in any situation in our life.
"My suggestions use three action verbs: to appreciate, to communicate, and to contemplate.
"To appreciate—to say “I love you” and “thank you”—is not difficult. But these expressions of love and appreciation do more than acknowledge a kind thought or deed. They are signs of sweet civility. As grateful partners look for the good in each other and sincerely pay compliments to one another, wives and husbands will strive to become the persons described in those compliments.
"Suggestion number two—to communicate well with your spouse—is also important. Good communication includes taking time to plan together. Couples need private time to observe, to talk, and really listen to each other. They need to cooperate—helping each other as equal partners. They need to nurture their spiritual as well as physical intimacy. They should strive to elevate and motivate each other. Marital unity is sustained when goals are mutually understood. Good communication is also enhanced by prayer. To pray with specific mention of a spouse’s good deed (or need) nurtures a marriage.
"My third suggestion is to contemplate. This word has deep meaning. It comes from Latin roots: con, meaning “with,” and templum, meaning “a space or place to meditate.” It is the root from which the word temple comes. If couples contemplate often—with each other in the temple—sacred covenants will be better remembered and kept. Frequent participation in temple service and regular family scripture study nourish a marriage and strengthen faith within a family. Contemplation allows one to anticipate and to resonate (or be in tune) with each other and with the Lord. Contemplation will nurture both a marriage and God’s kingdom. The Master said, “Seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” 17"
Like I wrote earlier, these are directed at married people but I believe they can be applied very literally to our everyday lives. Technology is a wonderful thing, but it is perhaps one of the most destructive things in the shortest amount of time. The most important measure is not to become "tools of our tools" as we move forward and work to build relationships with others around us, especially those relationships that have eternal potential.
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