Introducing the Newest Means of Communication: Talking!

This week in class we watched a video from the National Poetry Slam Contest. Marshall David Jones's poem, Touchscreen, was about technology and where it has brought us today. When people think of technology, one word comes to mind: progress. But the message from the poet is quite different. He states that technology has brought us backwards as much as it has brought us forward.

One line of Jones's poem that still resounds after the recitation is done is when he states that he is comforting a crying child over Skype. Yes, the ability to talk virtually has been a lifesaver to many families, but it has also fostered negative behaviors. Children who have one parent overseas can use these modern tools to rectify their situations. But, for people who are not in these situations, these "tools" can become their vices. Previously, people would set up reunions in a coffee shop or at a restaurant. These intimate gatherings would allow people to create new bonds with each other and their surroundings. And these relations are what defined people as an "interdependent" race.

With the advent of technology people are taking less time from their lives to interact with others. Everything can be done virtually, so why take the effort to do it personally? The answer is clear; by doing this the human race is losing a skill that defines them. Our ability to communicate is a primary reason we are considered higher-order thinking creatures. By texting, tweeting, or emailing our words they become fake. These words have been thought about, and are said to elicit a certain response. Sometimes, these words may not even be ours!

On my last birthday most of my family called to wish me, but one of my relatives- who usually remembers- forgot this year. Well, not entirely. My uncle had sent me a highly personal e-card! It was custom with a generic message and a cheesy song. Sarcasm aside, the card certainly did not make me feel the same way a personal phone call would have.

And so before you rush to purchase the new iPhone 200, take a moment to talk to someone. Take a moment to relish life and the relationships you have. Take a moment to develop new relations, and you will see the beauty of being able to "touch"- a person, not a screen.

Everyone...Except You

There have been numerous instances in history where people have had to fight oppression. The victories from these ethical battle can be seen through the declarations that were written. These span over hundreds of years, from the Magna Carta in 1512 to our own Declaration of Independence. In essence all these documents convey similar messages. In class this week we read the Declaration of Sentiments and it made me realize how ironic this concept of natural rights was. 

John Locke so eloquently said, "...All equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in Life, Health, Liberty, or Possessions." Natural rights are rights that were bestowed upon them by God. Yet, people have had to constantly plea for these rights.This demonstrates a fundamental problem: why do people take away the natural rights of others. 

One way people can be in power is by taking the power away from someone else. By taking away other peoples natural rights they have taken away their only solace of individuality. People get very angered by this, and do so understandably. They believe that if God gave them their rights, then what gives any person- aside from God- the ability to take away this power. And so, they revolt. But they believe they are not fighting for something they need to earn, they are fighting from something that has been taken away.

It would be logical to assume that once someone has had to fight for their own rights that person would never take away the rights of someone else. For example, if ones parents endured poverty, they would try to ensure their progeny would never have to experience that life style. Ironically though, the opposite of this is what happened in America. The American people had to fight for their rights in a bloody battle to earn their unalienable rights. Almost a hundred years later, the women of the country did the same, but without the bloodshed. They drafted their declaration using the same words, but altered some to encompass both men and women, to show how similar their requests were to the men's. Both groups were asking for the same rights, just at different times. And even though the men had asked the same to Great Britain they were reluctant to grant it to the women. And the reason is because, they simply wanted more power.

But it is important that people learn from this. If every person has the same unalienable rights, given to them by God, then it is not only unfair, but umethical, to take these rights away from any one else. In the end, we must all remember we are the same. As Abigail Adams warned her husband to “remember the ladies”, we must all remember each other and not oppress others in our quest for power. 

The Game of Life

Life is a game. Your birth symbolizes the first move. Every choice and every decision after that plot out your life. The mission of the game is to immortalize yourself. As Goethe said to "exist" we must be willing to make strategic decisions.

During peoples life people chose to act a certain way to create a favorable reputation for themselves. John Smith even fabricated his own accounts to make his life seem more glorious and his achievements more valiant. By writing these accounts he was taking time away from living, or his "existence", to his "exist" forever in history. This phenomenon is not specific to just Smith, many people from the past and today take time away from their life to document their life the way they want people from the future to remember them. This concept can in turn lead to other problems. Today it is seen in social media. People are constantly posting pictures and updating their statuses. They are taking time away from what they are doing to share it with the world. Whether they realize it or not, these actions are to show others what they are doing in order for others to create an impression of them. People want others to perceive them in a certain way. The actions of colonial writers are judged because we now know the tales they told may not be completely true, but we do the same thing today. A picture is worth a thousand words, so a picture of two people smiling together may convey one image, but it is likely that it is hiding a completely different story.

People of the past and the present have the same goal in mind: to create a favorable reputation. Writers of the past had a more long term focus in comparison to the people today. Irregardless, people are not living life to its fullest. There is a lack of continuity as people are more concerned with the best way to document and present what they are experiencing; they are giving up their existence. As Goethe also said, life is like an "art", it is a shame to waste the beautiful experience. In conclusion, the best move- the winning move- is to stop competing, and to just live today, for today.

What Do People Think When They Hear Your Name?

 

One of the most fundamental events in a person's life is being given a name. This continues to be the way the person is identified through their life. Initially is just a way to address the child but as time passes it gains more meaning and represents the person's experiences, beliefs, and actions. The name comes to symbolize an individuals identity.After the person's demise it is only the name that prevails.

At the start of the play, Reverend Parris is eager to discover what transpired in the forest the night before with his daughter and Abigail. He wants to know if the story Abigail is telling is true. Abigail continues to scream that it is, but he questions her credibility. Since Abigail was fired from the Proctor's residence, Parris wonders if Abigail has a bad reputation. She adamantly replies, "There be no blush about my name!” During Puritanical times in Salem a person’s reputation and by proxy their name was very important. To them their reputation served to categorize the people. For example, when Goody Nurse enters the scene she is met with respect. The people value her and her opinion because she has been a benefactor for the people. Her name is revered. On the contrary, when Proctor enters and speaks, his opinion is not valued as much. His inconsistent church attendance underscores his bad reputation. His name, embodying his faults, causes him to not be respected. Ironically, throughout the play, Proctor is truly the only man who knows what is happening. But since his opinions are not valued- because of his soiled name- the people continue to ignore them. 

Although people have one given name, depending on their behavior, they can be called by different names that represent their actions. This name can come to hold just as much importance. During the court room scene Proctor chooses to "cast away his good name". He does this by calling Abigail a "whore". As this scene transpires one can see the pain that Proctor goes through. Proctor has an internal struggle between preserving his reputation and ending the witchcraft hysteria. He chooses to help the village, but he rings "doom" upon his own name by revealing the lechery he has committed. He does this because Abigail, a young female, is able to manipulate the whole village’s beliefs and actions. Proctor wants to put an end to this, so he tries to destroy her reputation- her name. 

When one invokes the names of figures from the past one uses their names. But it is interesting as most people have never met the person. When they speak the name they are not talking about the person, but they are talking about their attributes. For example, when someone says "George Washington" images of him crossing the Delaware, leading the country, and chopping down a cherry tree come to mind. The name is associated with all the memories of a person. Even after a person dies, their name can live on. But whether it lives on in a positive way like Washington's or in a negative way like Mussolini’s is determined by the actions the person committed during their life. 

A person’s name is a title that is capable of grouping years of learning, actions, and words together. Yet, as exemplified by the Crucible, one small action can ruin a person’s name forever. People are perpetually curious as to what other people say about them, this is because they are trying to ensure that their reputation has not been tarnished.And that bring us to the biggest question of all, what do people say about you?