“We do not ride the railroad; it rides on us,” Henry David Thoreau once stated in a caveat that, unfortunately, the majority of the population has failed to heed. Thoreau’s “railroad” represents modern technology and he believes that people indulge themselves in technology so greatly to the point that it essentially dictates their lives and actions.
Similarly, in “Burned Out and Bored” Ronald Dahl reflects upon how the increased use of technology, among many other factors, has caused people to become overly dependent and stimulated that one can argue that, in a way, technology is actually setting us back rather than moving us forward. While the original intent of technological advancements is to enhance our lives, Dahl observed that technological over-stimulation has actually desensitized people and caused them to become bored with their lives. Even more worrisome is the social consequences of this desensitization.
For instance, he watches as his 11-year-old daughter absorbs the gory special effects in movies, his son’s friends deal dismembering blows to their opponents in realistic video games, and his son criticizes, in a shockingly calm voice, that one of the world’s fastest rollercoaster rides is “not as exciting as other rides. ” All of these effects highlight the alarming condition we live in where children are accustomed to high levels of violence in their everyday lives and people’s stimulation thresholds are constantly being pushed to the limit.
Dahl is also seriously concerned by the adolescences’ “ever more densely packed schedules,” such as the “morning rush to make the school bus” and the “rapid shuttle through after school [programs]. ” He notes that even dinner, a traditionally relaxed time for family gathering, has become a “series of snacks eaten on the run” and he believes that there’s a serious imbalance with this new hurried lifestyle, for he states “…the pace of life and the intensity of stimulation may be contributing rising rate of psychiatric problems.
The Essay on Can You Imagine Your Life Without Technology?
I’ll See You on the Dark Side of the Tech Can you imagine your life without technology? Nearly everybody thinks that technology can be the greatest thing in the world, seeing that it can transform a person’s life, turning them easier to do daily tasks. It’s not that uncommon to see in a family dinner table, the very little children with cutting-edge tablets or smartphones playing games or ...
He believes that children and adolescents are unable to keep up with these routines and people’s constantly crammed lifestyle increases the human mind’s stimulation threshold and ultimately results in everyday activities becoming ordinary, boring, and disinterring. I am guilty of overly compacted schedules and excessive use of technology that has caused some degree of emotional imbalances that endanger my fitness. For example, I am currently enrolled in two science classes: AP Biology and Chemistry. Juggling these classes around is no easy task.
I am frequently awake at midnight or later studying for an upcoming biology test or completing a chemistry lab. In addition, I am involved in aquatic sports such as water polo and the swim team whose practices occupy most of my schedule and energy. I also have a role as the accompanist for the San Marino Chamber choir; this group dedicates much of their time outside of school to learning difficult works of music or participating in festivals. All of these activities are jammed into a computer-based calendar, which brings up the next point: indulgence in technology.
I admit that I have grown almost completely reliant on the computer and internet; without powerful search engines, I believe that attempting to research a topic using the conventional method of books would be quite hopeless. Sending messages by pen and paper would be a difficult task for me, too, for I am accustomed to sending emails. I hardly know how to purchase stamps at the post office! The fact that I am so incompetent at activities that seem so simple is due to my unconditional reliance for technology.
But everyone is culpable of leading hectic, over-filled lives and constructing their lives based on technology to some extent. Though the exorbitant stimulation described by Dahl may seriously and negatively impact a person’s life, the problem is not entirely out of hand. There is a remedy, and a simple one at that. With some self-control, one can direct himself back to a world of tranquil simplicity by slowing down and enjoying and appreciating the simple things that once filled our lives with joy.
The Essay on A Way of Life for Searching People
The book Practicing Our Faith: a Way of Life for a Searching People is about addressing the need for sharing the fundamental needs of man to establish faithful and honorable Christian way of life. It explores twelve central Christian practices contributed together by thirteen individuals coming from diverse denominational and ethnic backgrounds. Specifically this book provides significance to ...
Instead of the constant rushing to get ahead, a person can adjust their routine to be more leisurely. There’s also always the option of making time in a day to curl up with a good book, play a board game or have a conversation with family, or create art as an alternative to playing video games or watching television. Essentially, people today need to simply slow down, relax, and distance oneself from the noises of modern technology. It is in this peaceful state that people can once again truly enjoy life and its simple but invaluable pleasures.
