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Re: Next time you log into facebook, consider some Marshall McLuhan quotes
Careful not to lose contact with people while choosing to live your life this way. You might one day find yourself as an escape goat for a terrorist act 
. You must conform. You are either with us or against us 
Originally posted by jgk3
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I agree with what you say. This is why I appreciate the culture of rural areas and the ethic of self reliance. I've greatly lowered the degree of mundanity I experience in the city by familiarizing myself with homemade cooking, combining walking as a serious means of transportation (so I won't have to constantly be on wheels), reading books every day, etc... When I make those habits a priority in life that I will not sacrifice just because it is not the mainstream, I find peace and could not care less how other people live their lives.
A big part of this calmness I feel also comes from the fact that I don't recognize the city culture I'm immersed in on a day to day basis as the only culture I need to live in. Quite the contrary, I imagine myself living in many rural and even wild areas, which promotes my curiosity about nature, primitive technologies, the importance of social contacts and teamwork, etc... I do not feel like I am suffering anymore because everyone is busy texting or talking on their cell phones, because my mind is already occupied by something meaningful to me that none of these folks with an outward appearance of "techno-zombies" can disturb. In fact, I feel an advantage when amongst them because my habits and ideas might be of interest to others who inherently share my desires in life, but are for the time being dressed up in a social outfit that is keeping them from self-actualization. It is evident that the term closet-case really shouldn't be reserved for sexual orientation, closet-case seems to apply to anyone who would experience greater happiness in life if they "came out" with their basic desires despite their early perception of a tyranic mainstream.
As you can see, I don't believe peoples' minds are destroyed by the mainstream, but merely masked by mainstream customs and ideas/beliefs. A 14 year old who grew up in a cellphone culture might someday be drawn to the forest and come to value birdwatching, fishing and hiking more than talking to friends about going to parties downtown. These interests in nature are inherent, but the individual needs a trigger, consecutive experiences in an environment they truly love and not just what they can manage to go along with, to find where they can find meaning in life. At some point, they are going to weigh their highschool friendships against new kinds of experiences in their lives, and will get to make a choice. When they have kids, they will bestow upon them an upbringing that takes into account their life's development, and this indicates that social culture is ever evolving. In this society of ours that is relatively well fed and safe, it is we (the individuals, the masses who seldom make the papers or history books) who are directly responsible for where the mainstream is headed.
Finally, our commentary/critic about the effects of modern media on our social habits should reflect an appreciation for how man has lived in different eras, in different parts of the world under different circumstances. People seek a certain basic sense of security and comfort in this world, whether they live in the arctic and must travel with sled dogs 1000 km at a time to the next outpost for provisions, in a tropical area where people live with a constant fear of malaria, in farmlands where everyone fears a drought, and finally, in a city where social class truly distinguishes peoples' fears, the rich fearing socialistic taxing and the poor fearing unemployment and high interest rates.
If people find comfort in cellphones, texting eachother and whatnot, it is a reflection of how they have adapted their lives at large with the environment they live in. Over the past 60 years, we went from phones, radios, tvs, internet, and now finally gadgets that can combine all of them in one. If they can still manage to make a living, finding comfort and security in their lives, they will continue on this path. I don't blame them, it's just human nature to keep going until you hit a brick wall. My freedom lies in the fact that I don't need to hit the same brickwall as everyone else (and if it is the same brick wall, I don't have to run into it with the same velocity as another person might), and no amount of technology or mainstream culture can ever change that
A big part of this calmness I feel also comes from the fact that I don't recognize the city culture I'm immersed in on a day to day basis as the only culture I need to live in. Quite the contrary, I imagine myself living in many rural and even wild areas, which promotes my curiosity about nature, primitive technologies, the importance of social contacts and teamwork, etc... I do not feel like I am suffering anymore because everyone is busy texting or talking on their cell phones, because my mind is already occupied by something meaningful to me that none of these folks with an outward appearance of "techno-zombies" can disturb. In fact, I feel an advantage when amongst them because my habits and ideas might be of interest to others who inherently share my desires in life, but are for the time being dressed up in a social outfit that is keeping them from self-actualization. It is evident that the term closet-case really shouldn't be reserved for sexual orientation, closet-case seems to apply to anyone who would experience greater happiness in life if they "came out" with their basic desires despite their early perception of a tyranic mainstream.
As you can see, I don't believe peoples' minds are destroyed by the mainstream, but merely masked by mainstream customs and ideas/beliefs. A 14 year old who grew up in a cellphone culture might someday be drawn to the forest and come to value birdwatching, fishing and hiking more than talking to friends about going to parties downtown. These interests in nature are inherent, but the individual needs a trigger, consecutive experiences in an environment they truly love and not just what they can manage to go along with, to find where they can find meaning in life. At some point, they are going to weigh their highschool friendships against new kinds of experiences in their lives, and will get to make a choice. When they have kids, they will bestow upon them an upbringing that takes into account their life's development, and this indicates that social culture is ever evolving. In this society of ours that is relatively well fed and safe, it is we (the individuals, the masses who seldom make the papers or history books) who are directly responsible for where the mainstream is headed.
Finally, our commentary/critic about the effects of modern media on our social habits should reflect an appreciation for how man has lived in different eras, in different parts of the world under different circumstances. People seek a certain basic sense of security and comfort in this world, whether they live in the arctic and must travel with sled dogs 1000 km at a time to the next outpost for provisions, in a tropical area where people live with a constant fear of malaria, in farmlands where everyone fears a drought, and finally, in a city where social class truly distinguishes peoples' fears, the rich fearing socialistic taxing and the poor fearing unemployment and high interest rates.
If people find comfort in cellphones, texting eachother and whatnot, it is a reflection of how they have adapted their lives at large with the environment they live in. Over the past 60 years, we went from phones, radios, tvs, internet, and now finally gadgets that can combine all of them in one. If they can still manage to make a living, finding comfort and security in their lives, they will continue on this path. I don't blame them, it's just human nature to keep going until you hit a brick wall. My freedom lies in the fact that I don't need to hit the same brickwall as everyone else (and if it is the same brick wall, I don't have to run into it with the same velocity as another person might), and no amount of technology or mainstream culture can ever change that
. You must conform. You are either with us or against us
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