Was there life before the internet?

In the picture (above) is my dear friend and housemate Rumbi and I (I, being represented by the second laptop facing the camera that’s sat on my lap). We are on the couch working on different things on laptop computers and occasionally speaking to one another, mainly to request songs we are “streaming” [this is a one-way audio transmission over an internet network - http://www.answers.com/topic/streaming-media]. We then started talking about the population of the world (yes, all 6 billion plus people) and I said that China had the largest population in the world which we agreed but then we started to wonder which country was the largest geographically but did not know and after about 30 seconds Rumbi said, ‘why don’t we look it up online!?!)  To which we both turned back t the laptops on our laps and started searching away… in less than a minute we had the answer…Russia! Yes, just like that, at a click of a button we had out on our couch, access to a multitude of libraries and all their information were available to us…

The World Wide Web (WWW) has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, computer and Internet set the stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. The internet was invented by Sir Timothy John “Tim” Berners-Lee, a British engineer and computer scientist between 1989 and1991. The Web has become a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard to geographic location. http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/berners-lee.htm.

I wonder if the scene I described earlier is the idea that Sir Tim had in mind back in 1989 when he first suggested the global internet… Had he considered the possibility of groups of people in different countries around the world being able to share their every moment together through social networking sites such as facebook or twitter? Or the online dating scene that brings strangers together and sees countless relationships and marriage unions formed as a result? Had he considered the possibility that I would be in a country 8 256 km away from my parents and would be able to see them on live video as well as chat to them daily using an IM medium (instant messenger and Skype to be precise). It really is an amazing feeling each day when I get to see my Daddy through a webcam conversation on Skype each day and it is really great to be able to brainstorm ideas, ask her questions and share my day with my Mummy through Google talk, these systems and indeed the internet is so much more important to me personally because I have not seen my parents in person for a few years…The same is true about my sister in America and my brother when he was in Namibia. The internet has taken traditional distances and geographical space which used to be a barrier to regular communication and brought Zimbabwe, Namibia and America into my living room and onto my lap in my laptop.

My friend stated that she studied for her whole degree without withdrawing a single book from her university library because all the information she required was readily available on the internet. Others can complete degrees online whilst residing in a different country. With the boom of dot.com businesses, many companies exist solely on the internet and transact through online mediums without owning a single shop. The World Wide Web has in twenty years completely changed the way we communicate, how we see each other, who we can meet, how we work, are educated and how we do business for better and for worse…The internet has many dangers and like all things, there is a good and a bad, but for people like me, who have family scattered across the globe and friends to boot! It has given an opportunity for relationships to be maintained and continuously invested in, in real time… Sir Tim, I salute you!

Life...

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Life...is the interval of time between birth and death. 

That is the physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence.

“If you know nothing at all in life, know this;

That yesterday is a canceled cheque;

Tomorrow is a promissory note;

 Today is the only cash you have;

…so spend it wisely…”  (S. Cha)

I recently received the quote above and I thought it quite profound in its estimation of life. I must confess I don’t often reflect on the full constitution of life and its depth of meaning…which I suppose is not prudent for one yet to navigate through life, seeking a station and place for purpose. However on this occasion I ponder on this very question…What is life?

Life can be defined as, ‘the property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism’. However I prefer this definition, ‘the physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence’.

A cancelled cheque refers to a cheque that has been cashed or paid [http://www.investorwords.com/5435/cancelled_check.html]. When we consider our own lives in this way, a cancelled cheque could refer to successes we achieved as well as failures we paid for. Those that were successes signify the things in our past that we got right, the battles we won, the lives we touched, the hope fulfilled and general good times…The failures we paid for refers to the those things we got wrong and the regrets of the past, the things we didn’t achieve, the battles lost, the time wasted and joy lost…I find that there are two types of people in life; those who spend a lot of their present, living in the past, regretting and living out the consequences of their failures with no hope of being present in the now. We may know that the past is time spent that we cannot recover, yet often people take the view that if the ponder on it long enough or dwell in its failures, those cancelled cheques would somehow become paid. The reality is that those who are trapped in the issues of yesterday, they completely miss living their today.

Tomorrow…the day after today…the future… the unknown…the dreams yet to be fulfilled… Those who are not focused on their past regrets are often focused on worrying about their future.  The bible tells us that, ‘no man is promised tomorrow’, that is, you do not know the day and time you will die… so what is the point of worrying? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we shouldn’t plan for our futures, but once we have made plans, we need to start making headway to achieving them by living in the now. Being afraid that you won’t achieve or succeed tomorrow often paralyses people and stops them from trying to do anything…FEAR, a state of mind that says, ‘I can’t’ often robs us of the promise of tomorrow and all its possibilities… A promissory note can therefore be described as a promise to pay a negotiable amount. Therefore God determines how much time you receive in your future which is changeable until you posses it. [http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/promissory-note.html]

Cash is the physical currency you have in hand that has a corresponding value / worth that is at your disposal today [http://www.investorwords.com/747/cash.html]. This is today, the now opportunities, the things we see, feel and experience in the present.  What we are doing with our now is what is more important than what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow. No is when we can make positive changes to mitigate the effects of our past mistakes on our future. Now is when we can refocus and redirect our energies into the most important things. Now is the time to make a positive impact on our local communities, invest in the future of the next generation and have an overall positive impact in the now… Martin Luther King, Jr.  once said, ‘an individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. Life must have a purpose beyond satisfying self, seeking for its own and gaining for its own benefit…A life that constantly looks back, overlooks today in fear of what its tomorrow will bring and sets out to achieve for itself alone is indeed a wasted life…

For the sake of peace and progress...

    

    I have been sat here for a good portion of the day staring at a blank sheet of paper with only a topic scribed upon it, wondering how to begin… We could talk about the meaning of the word peace; typically thought to be the absence of war or other hostilities, freedom from quarrels and disagreement or public security and order. [http://www.answers.com/topic/peace]. Progress is commonly defined as movement (advancement) as toward a goal; development or growth [http://www.answers.com/topic/progress]. In order for there to be growth in the human race, children have to be born through the trauma (struggle) of childbirth. Consider the metamorphosis of a butterfly; they are by nature unique in that they go through the process of metamorphosis; a distinct transformation process from egg to larva then pupa to adulthood. [http://www.bonsaigardener.org/bonsai_176.html]. When the butterfly comes forth from its cocoon in the final stage of metamorphosis before it becomes an adult, it has to fight its way out ‘for peace (liberty) and progress’! The reason for this is that the butterfly needs to go through this period of struggle in order to become strong enough to fly and survive. The same is true for progress to take place and be sustainable.

So what then can we say about the need for peace and progress? I believe that there is certainly a climate in which we can experience peace and progress however it may not be in line with popular thinking on the subject. As we have not known a state of genuine peace since the times of the Garden of Eden, this definition of peace seems somewhat fallacious.  To think of a world with no quarrels of any kind, where we are all in harmonious agreement always, no physical or verbal ‘cold’ wars, no family disputes and dramas… Surely such a utopian existence can only exist in heaven? The reality is that the world as we know it has never been in a state of true peace as the definition above suggests. 

Peace is a progressive development from one state to another, fighting through each stage to gain a new experience of a version of it as we evolve through life. Peace is therefore very much dependent on perspective and what you as an individual deem is possible to gain from any one state in life.

A more progressive position to the norm is one where peace is viewed as the result of victory though a struggle than to think of peace being devoid of war or disharmony. Therefore, ‘ for the sake of peace and progress’, one would compromise on one part and fight their corner on the other. That is; a workable balance of needs resulting in a semblance of peace. One which is driven by the understanding that to have all your own way is to leave the other at a disadvantage which results in strife and disunity that is counterproductive in the pursuit of peace.

Therefore, peace could be re-defined as a state of overcoming in times of struggle or finding a place of victory in difficult times / situations. Peace indeed is characterised by struggle; an internal battle to swallow one’s pride, set aside one’s own choices, views and sometimes even beliefs. It is also an external struggle to ‘keep the peace’ whilst not losing your stance, finding a way not to rock the proverbial boat without selling your soul... It is a constant work of frustration by my reckoning and very much unlike the thoughts of harmonious tranquil utopian existence one ponders upon when they think of it…

The greatest progress we can make as people is to accept that our original thoughts on the matter are flawed and instead of consistently reaching out for this utopian place called peace, for the sake of peace and progress, let us recognise that peace is a journey, not a destination and that it is with each daily decision, each battle, each struggle, that we can find ourselves progressing towards it, heavenward…

Perils of consumerism

With each life experience and interaction with the world, our minds are shaped, opinions formed and decisions made which alter our viewpoints, challenge our existing knowledge and understanding. Every form of media and popular opinion that we are exposed to changes our perceptions and way of thinking. We are consistently being bombarded with advertisements, trends through an array of different forms of media. All of which have an impact regardless of whether or not we are actively involved in following them or passively. An example of this is technology (gadgets). Every few months there is a new and ‘better’ phone, laptop/computer, car, and TV / DVD system and on and on… It doesn’t stop! The temptation is too great with all that is positioned around us to desire these things. Advertisements make us feel like what we already have is outdated and invalid and that we need to consistently search and seek something new whether we really need these things or not.

Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase commodity goods in ever greater amounts [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism].

 

Fashion is another excellent example of this; being a great lover and ardent fan of shoes, I recall the introduction of the UGG boots, (if you escaped them you are one of the lucky few!) They are an Australian branded and made ‘snow’ type boot for winter (the irony was certainly more than I could bare…) These shoes became popular almost overnight at the ridiculous price of approx £100 and true to form, as soon as the celebrities started being seen in them, they flew of the shelves like the last few loaves of bread during the Zimbabwe ‘now you see it, now you don’t’ food crisis of the last few years!

Outrageous I know but a powerful example of how little choice one can have in life. If you ask anyone who owns a pair of these oversized boots if their choice was completely uninfluenced by who had them in the celebrity world as well as their own local circles, you will find that the decision to purchase was influenced even sub-consciously through advertisement or directly through peer pressure. I am pleased to report that on a matter of principle I refused to purchase UGG boots and deliberately chose to buy a pair of Emues instead  (another Australian brand but at half the price). My choice at the style of boots was however influenced by the UGG craze and therefore is debatable where choice stopped and external influence took over. In contrast; my good friend (whose identity will be concealed to protect the guilty!) who took a similar stance to mine in relation to the cost of UGG boots, but she spent an hour of her life filling in an online questionnaire with the promise of a free pair of these boots at the end…they never materialised!

One of the most influential pulls or pressures if you like, that drive consumerism, is the ‘keeping up with the Joneses syndrome’. It is a phrase applied to competitive acquisition: trying to have all the new things that your neighbours have [http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses_mean]. This is the final link in the vicious cycle called consumerism. It uses advertising to tell us we are not good enough as we are; incapable of having style unless we follow their fashion, unable to connect to the world without all the latest gadgets to be able to use new technologies to do things we do not really need. It then provides for us the solution to our inadequacies or areas of lack... (...fill in the blank), and it’s sold in the nearest shopping centre or town to you. Finally it gets all your friends, family, neighbours;  people in your class at school or work colleagues to buy things and brag about how great they are and how it has changed their life. Then you see it, the look that says oh dear you still have that old version or last seasons... and you’re spurned on to ‘shop ‘till you drop!’ or ‘buy, buy, buy’ (for the gents). So next time you go out to replace that mobile phone or computer or your perfectly working radio, pause, tell yourself you’re a victim and chuckle quietly to yourself  ...