Positive vs. Negative Responses

Christopher McCandless, at first, was presented to me as a crazy, half-witted lunatic. Who in their right mind would freaking drop all that they have in the world, especially a college education from Emory University, and vanish into the unknown lifestyle that Mother Earth has to offer us. I’m sure this thought has passed through most if not all of the students in our class. After watching several YouTube videos concerning McCandless and looking at all of the different outlooks of many people, my harsh criticism of him was softened but not fully changed. 

Stumbling around YouTube, it is clear to all that his unique story impacted many people who didn’t have a personal interaction or connection to McCandless. From slideshow montages to documentaries, McCandless personal journey to find his true self through nature touched conscious people even from a generation later. In the eyes of many admirers, Chris McCandless was a man who wasn’t afraid to do whatever it takes to conquer his dreams. He didn’t push his dreams and aspirations aside because he was frightened of the consequences. He embraced the challenge of separating himself from the rest of society and its laws and becoming one with nature. The American society was imprisoned by materialistic things such as money and possessions. Chris sensed that materialistic goods are what controlled the both the hearts and minds of the American people and would not let his desires succumb to the Green Devil (money). Maybe this is what readers felt about Chris’s decision to forego all of his past lifestyle. Maybe not. But it is obvious that his journey created a positive impact on the lives of many. 

On the other side of the spectrum, I have encountered many negative videos pertaining to Chris’ life. On more than two videos, hate comments were posted. “Who the f*** would leave everything behind and basically kill themselves smh” and “F***Chris why does anyone care about a lunatic who fell off the face of the earth” were some of many terrible comments.

Vine Project Reflection

My vines were a reflection of my attempts at breaking the norms and finding ways to enjoy myself while at the same time maintaining a greener footprint on this Earth. Although very basic, I thought my vines presented a clear message. In my first vine, I am at a park spending time swinging on a swing. In fact, I was with a friend of mine just hanging out. Just chilling and spending time with a close friend of mine was sufficient enough for me. The point is that both he and I did not contribute to carbon emissions during that that afternoon. Teenagers my age often find themselves aimlessly driving around, trying to kill time or think of something fun to do. First and foremost, I find myself thinking that that is a waste of gas and lets off harmful carbon dioxide fumes to the atmosphere. The fact that my friend and I enjoyed ourselves without harming the environment should be an indicator for people to at least alter their lifestyles to a more green way. My second vine shows me turning my body from a park into the woods adjacent to it. I say “Time to get out of the city and go on an Eco-hike”. Like my first vine, a very simple phrase holds a lot of meaning. The area of woods around the park is like a retreat from the everyday city life. Although small and enclosed by the bustling noise of the surrounding city, the woods offer a sense of protectiveness and a place to reflect individually. This is similar to how McCandless felt  when he sought the wild as a place of refuge.

These vines are an attempt by me to at least be conscious of the environment and connect with my inner aspects of nature. Even though I am no where as extreme as Chris McCandless, I can still feel content knowing that I am at least trying to be aware of our environment. 

https://vine.co/v/MJnA0M2I3jA

https://vine.co/v/MJnmlqEBd0p

https://t.co/u837ugocqw
https://t.co/UsyvgElxMY

Eye Opener to the Real World

Throughout the last couple of weeks, Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael provided us with an insight into the evolution of culture through the lens of people who come from different backgrounds. The way that Quinn brought us the message was very eye-catching. The fact that he uses a gorilla was enough to draw my attention to something I wouldn’t normally consider spending my time with. Even though this is a reflection of the book itself, Quinn did a great job capturing readers with the "Teacher seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person," line early on in the book.

I ask myself, what are we necessarily trying to save in the world? How ARE we going to save the world? These are a few of the questions that I wanted to be answered. Just reading the book wasn’t enough for me. The discussions we had in class opened my mind up to the deeper meanings embedded in the book. It helped me embrace the ideas of Takers and Leavers and the effect they have on shaping the worlds history for all creatures.

Some people complain that the human race is over exceeding its boundaries set by nature. They argue that Earth is not solely inhabited by humans and we must respect that. We are supposedly “destroying the earth and wrecking the natural ecosystem”. Others say that us humans were created to dwell on this Earth and to do whatever we want since we are the superior race. This takes us back to the Taker/Leaver principle that Ishmael the gorilla was so adamant about. He teaches the narrator that the Taker ideology isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it’s just different.

In the final discussion of Ishmael, the connections to Genesis and the Fall of Man were brought forward. Further dissection of the text led to my conclusion that the Taker’s story is a direct representation of the tree in the garden story. In an article written by Peter Reinwald called “ Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and the movement it inspired,” Reinwald breaks down the intermediaries of all of the different connections Ishmael makes. He says, “Ishmael implores the narrator to think for himself on "how things came to be this way" and to come to the understanding that our culture has been enacting a story from the book of Genesis: that Man is here to conquer the earth.”

 

Citations:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-13/features/ct-prj-0714-ishmael-lifes-operating-manual-tom-sha-20130713_1_printers-row-journal-chalice-books/2

Technology Shaping Humans' lives

Technology shaping Humans lives.

       In the 16 and a half years that I have existed on this Earth, I never really realized the extent of technology on our lives. The fact that nearly 100% of the things that we take part in everyday revolves around some form of technology or innovation. Most of us humans are oblivious to this fact. In a span of a couple of weeks that I have been attending this Reading Place class, my eyes have been opened to this whole other dimension of life. An example that has been brought up several times is a Cellphone/Smartphone. People do not realize how much control these man-made devices have over us. I have been a part of the Smartphone world for the past 3 years. Before that, I was stuck with a simple QWERTY slide phone. After some reflection, I realized that I used to read a lot more back then and used several more resources to find out the stuff I needed to know. Now, everything is just a swipe of my finger away.

      This brings me to the Google connection. In David Carr’s Is Google Making Us Stupid, he makes a very detailed argument stating that Google is controlling our lives. He mentions media theorist Marshall McLuhan. He says, “…..media are not just passive channels of information. They supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought.” This is exactly what I am trying to get at. Human’s thought processing and decision making has changed drastically. Presidential elections are a great example of this. An American’s decision-making capabilities have been severely altered due to the media’s constant coverage of every aspect of a candidate’s life. During the 1800s and 1900s, the media did not have the means to constantly survey a candidate’s life. Rumors and scandals wouldn’t be spread as fast and some people may not even find out due to lack of proper communication and transportation.

       My last point brings me to an article that I stumbled upon. This article is titled “Smartphones Will Be Smarter than Humans By 2017, Enough To Perform Tasks As A ‘Secret Digital Agent.”The author of this article, Kukil Bora, says that Smartphones will be able to “predict their owners' next move, their next purchase or even interpret their actions.” This astounds me to a point where I want to start limiting my own smartphone use and start using my brain more. 

Technology shaping Humans lives.

In the 16 and a half years that I have existed on this Earth, I never really realized the extent of technology on our lives. The fact that nearly 100% of the things that we take part in everyday revolves around some form of technology or innovation. Most of us humans are oblivious to this fact. In a span of a couple of weeks that I have been attending this Reading Place class, my eyes have been opened to this whole other dimension of life. An example that has been brought up several times is a Cellphone/Smartphone. People do not realize how much control these man-made devices have over us. I have been a part of the Smartphone world for the past 3 years. Before that, I was stuck with a simple QWERTY slide phone. After some reflection, I realized that I used to read a lot more back then and used several more resources to find out the stuff I needed to know. Now, everything is just a swipe of my finger away.

This brings me to the Google connection. In David Carr’s Is Google Making Us Stupid, he makes a very detailed argument stating that Google is controlling our lives. He mentions media theorist Marshall McLuhan. He says, “…..media are not just passive channels of information. They supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought.” This is exactly what I am trying to get at. Human’s thought processing and decision making has changed drastically. Presidential elections are a great example of this. An American’s decision-making capabilities have been severely altered due to the media’s constant coverage of every aspect of a candidate’s life. During the 1800s and 1900s, the media did not have the means to constantly survey a candidate’s life. Rumors and scandals wouldn’t be spread as fast and some people may not even find out due to lack of proper communication and transportation.

My last point brings me to an article that I stumbled upon. This article is titled “Smartphones Will Be Smarter than Humans By 2017, Enough To Perform Tasks As A ‘Secret Digital Agent.”The author of this article, Kukil Bora, says that Smartphones will be able to “predict their owners' next move, their next purchase or even interpret their actions.” This astounds me to a point where I want to start limiting my own smartphone use and start using my brain more.