I want to talk a little bit about how I feel our lives have evolved within the last 20 years regarding the technological "improvements" and facilities we have.
This definitely has to include gadgets such as the mobile phone, particularly smartphones, the internet, social networks, email, information, the evolution on education tools, TV series and cartoons to name a few. Our life has become a multitasking environment in which everyone is moving at a high speed, worried about the job, the 20 emails which need reply, the Facebook status, the news everywhere.
I've found myself talking to 6-7 people on Facebook/Messenger, only speaking about vain empty things with no deep subject, talking about the classical "what did you do yesterday? how are you doing?", but no real content, not getting to know really how the other person is doing, their actual problems, the things that really make them happy. Our brain (or at least mine) is capable of focusing on only one thing, it takes me some time to focus but after that, the level of comprehension, understanding, interest and complexity of thought can get really deep. Talking to 7 people at a time it is extremely complicated (for me) to focus on each one in a short time and to really appreciate what they are saying, and to contribute actively to the conversation. This also happens to me when working. The amount of actual work I can achieve in one day is minimal when every 5 minutes I change activity e.g. check email, check the news, etc.; thus my focusing level has not gone deep enough to actually produce substantial advances on any of those activities.
Walking on the street you get to see lots of people with their heads looking down to their smartphone, texting, browsing, without enjoying the actual pleasure of "walking"(I used to be like that). This also happens on the bus, everyone with headphones, without looking to anyone or anything but their phone, without enjoying the wonderful scenery (especially on the double deckers).
I think the introduction of iPads to schools is a major mistake, because even though it does present a new "learning" mechanism full of "features", the amount of distraction and actual benefits of having this piece of technology have to be rethought. Nothing beats the classic pencil and eraser, blackboards and chalk, writing on the notebook, paperback books. There is no room for imagination, for creation. Everything is already given. Sometimes I think I sound like my father saying "things are not what they used to be, we were better before".
There are fewer peaceful and quiet moments for meditation, reflection, the enjoyment of simple things. Today, things have to look extraordinary and expensive to be amusing, otherwise they are considered dull and boring. What we haven't realised is that simple, common, everyday things or situations can be as beautiful and amusing as all those "extraordinary" and fancy and expensive ones. It just takes a moment to sit back and enjoy the birds sing, even the wind blowing through the trees, watch the colours in the sky, to get really amazed on how beautiful things already are. It's up to us to actually discover the extraordinary on everyday things.
All of this is ironic given that I am an Electronics Engineer in which, even though I should be pro technology improvements (which I am in certain fields), I do not agree on how the trend has gone for our lives in some ways. It should be clear anyway, that I am not pessimistic towards life, but I think there is a better way to see life and do things, there are more amazing things than one can imagine, and only really opening our eyes and mind we will be able to find them.
