Slouching Toward Cupertino

As I noted in my last post, we are all living through truly historic times. Whether it is the geo-political situation, the economy both here and abroad, climate change, advances in science and medicine, or any other number of areas, there are some real game-changers emerging. We have not slouched into this new millennium; seismic events have hurled us into and through its walls.

Yet how many of us have spent any serious time thinking about, reflecting on, and assessing these many and varied changes?  It seems that the concurrent rise of technology has turned us into a nation of addicts. After years of resistance, I bought my first smart phone a couple of months ago, an iPhone, and I must confess that I, too, have become addicted to it. But I have also become so dependent on the device that I can see how easy it is to lose one's perspective on the outside world. And how can we change the world if we don't fully understand it? How can we understand it if our eyes are glued to our iPads? Do these new and amazing gadgets make us happier and more fulfilled human beings, or do they make us even more narcissistic than we already are?

What is at risk, I fear, is the total collapse of community itself. Without honest reflection and moral assessment, we will become a nation of self-absorbed individuals, a collective of gadget-dependent cocoons who interact with each other in virtual rather than actual ways.

I, for one, will take a flesh-and-blood embrace over a text or an e-mail any day.

Weiner's Wiener & the Tragicomedy of Our Time

At a time when we are witnesses to revolutions, wars, and the consequences of climate change (i.e., hard news) the media has chosen to pander yet again to our baser desires and has trumped most of the important stories with tales of Anthony Weiner's junk shots.  I'm not sure which is more pathetic--Weiner's lame and juvenile behavior, or our insatiable interest in it.

Martin Luther King was a womanizer.  Gandhi treated his family like crap.  Yet despite their very real personal flaws and imperfections, these men were able to achieve great things.  Does the fact that Rep. Weiner used his Twitter account to send pics of his pecs to female admirers show poor judgment?  You bet, and I feel sorry for his pregnant wife.  He's a schmuck.  But his poor judgment only relates to his personal life.  It has no bearing whatsoever on his legislative skills or accomplishments.  Clinton is another fine example.  He acted like an idiot with Monica Lewinsky, but in my view that had nothing to do with his abilities as President.

I have had enough of our collective voyeurism.  We are living through a momentous period in history, and who knows how things will ultimately unfold.  There could be very dark days ahead--or bright and hopeful ones.  Let's get our heads out of the reality-TV mindset and refocus our attention and energy on what really matters.