My OperaThe less is (not) the new black
Sunday, November 6, 2011 4:58:15 PM
We are hunter-gatherers (or so I was told at school). This means our behaviours can be similar to those of a magpie.
Those birds tend to pick up everything that's shiny, bring it to their nest and embed it within it.
To survive we need water, food, sex and shelter.
There is however a force, that makes (almost) every person seek for more, attempt to be better, learn new things and accumulate goods. Thanks to it we evolve as a race. We think of better ways to save time, to make ourselves more comfortable (and lazy and fat
).
I guess it is good in some ways, but on the other side - it doesn't seem to make us happier. It doesn't seem to bring us more peace of mind. We are stressed over things we don't have, and fail to appreciate the things that we do.
I call it the "Mc Syndrome" (borrowed the prefix from the name of the oh-so-famous American fast food chain).
Because everything is so easy accessible, and we don't even need to have money to buy it (let me just dig out that credit card from my wallet!) - we tend to go by quantity rather than quality.
The rumour has it that goods are no longer produced to last, as it is clearly better if you need a new TV every three years.
And boy, does getting a new one give you a rush!
Why am I writing this (for the one thousand fifth time on this blog - well the old posts are no longer visible, so I may as well indulge myself!)?
I am currently a conscious "not-owner" of any sort of TV.
I believe it feeds you shit and makes you crave more of the same...
Maybe it isn't fair - I know there are a lot of interesting documentaries to be found, I myself also like some TV series (I used to be an Ally McBeal junkie, and now enjoy watching stuff like House or Grey's Anatomy), but I am afraid that once I get a TV I will turn into a brainless maniac, eating cereal while sitting in front of the shiny box, not even looking at my hands whilst doing it.
Jacek (my partner) thinks that as we are both foreigners, having TV at home could help us progress our language onto another level (or help us with understanding more of the various accents that surround us here).
And I have already started linking his craving into mine - I always wanted to try using one of those boxes with a mat connected to it, that help you with yoga and other exercising, and I know one WILL lead to another. We will end up with a TV, satellite dish, satellite decoder, a gaming console and a surround sound system.
With already four computers at home (two PCs, one netbook and one laptop that holds SQL server on it) I am not sure whether I am ready for another set of boxes that will clutter my personal space and make humming sounds.
What's wrong with spare time spent in peace and quiet with a cuppa of earl grey with lemon and a book in your hand, or a face to face conversation with a friend instead?
It actually scares me, I don't want our evenings to change into time when we sit next to each other looking at silver screen, instead of being together consciously.
Am I turning into a technophobe?
Those birds tend to pick up everything that's shiny, bring it to their nest and embed it within it.
To survive we need water, food, sex and shelter.
There is however a force, that makes (almost) every person seek for more, attempt to be better, learn new things and accumulate goods. Thanks to it we evolve as a race. We think of better ways to save time, to make ourselves more comfortable (and lazy and fat
).I guess it is good in some ways, but on the other side - it doesn't seem to make us happier. It doesn't seem to bring us more peace of mind. We are stressed over things we don't have, and fail to appreciate the things that we do.
I call it the "Mc Syndrome" (borrowed the prefix from the name of the oh-so-famous American fast food chain).
Because everything is so easy accessible, and we don't even need to have money to buy it (let me just dig out that credit card from my wallet!) - we tend to go by quantity rather than quality.
The rumour has it that goods are no longer produced to last, as it is clearly better if you need a new TV every three years.
And boy, does getting a new one give you a rush!
Why am I writing this (for the one thousand fifth time on this blog - well the old posts are no longer visible, so I may as well indulge myself!)?
I am currently a conscious "not-owner" of any sort of TV.
I believe it feeds you shit and makes you crave more of the same...
Maybe it isn't fair - I know there are a lot of interesting documentaries to be found, I myself also like some TV series (I used to be an Ally McBeal junkie, and now enjoy watching stuff like House or Grey's Anatomy), but I am afraid that once I get a TV I will turn into a brainless maniac, eating cereal while sitting in front of the shiny box, not even looking at my hands whilst doing it.
Jacek (my partner) thinks that as we are both foreigners, having TV at home could help us progress our language onto another level (or help us with understanding more of the various accents that surround us here).
And I have already started linking his craving into mine - I always wanted to try using one of those boxes with a mat connected to it, that help you with yoga and other exercising, and I know one WILL lead to another. We will end up with a TV, satellite dish, satellite decoder, a gaming console and a surround sound system.
With already four computers at home (two PCs, one netbook and one laptop that holds SQL server on it) I am not sure whether I am ready for another set of boxes that will clutter my personal space and make humming sounds.
What's wrong with spare time spent in peace and quiet with a cuppa of earl grey with lemon and a book in your hand, or a face to face conversation with a friend instead?
It actually scares me, I don't want our evenings to change into time when we sit next to each other looking at silver screen, instead of being together consciously.
Am I turning into a technophobe?
~ latemate ~Lazeeitus # Monday, November 7, 2011 4:29:36 AM