This humble little corner of the blogosphere reached a surprising threshold last night – its 10,000th hit. I don’t know if I should be passing out cigars, hiring an agent, or cleaning out the garbage, but I do want to reiterate my thanks to Polly and Mark (Kathy’s sister and her husband) who gave this to me as a birthday gift, undoubtedly unaware of what a monster they were unleashing – or is it an addict they were enabling? And I appreciate Kathy allowing this to be part of our already crowded lives. I think she knows that this is somehow beneficial for my mental health – and in turn I am learning to do this without spending three hours a night in front of our laptop like a kidney patient on dialysis.
Actually, I shouldn’t joke around about the addictive quality of computers, especially after interviewing the author of ‘iBrain’ – a book which explores how the human brain can actually be altered in its function when we use modern technology too much. One thing Dr. Gary Small points out is that the internet is a perfect vehicle for addictive behavior because it’s basically always there- it is limitless in its scope, so you can never exhaust its possibilities- it is practically free in and of itself (although the financial costs can be staggering if you become addicted to internet shopping or gambling)- and one feels anonymous. He even talks about how the keyboard and mouse are designed to feel very much like extensions of our own body and of our very selves, which is enormously empowering. Add it all up and there is little wonder that people by the millions are growing dependent on this technology in ways that are disconcerting at best and frightening at worst. I fall somewhere in the middle. I’m not quite convinced that I’m a couple of mouse clicks away from turning into HAL, the murderous computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey – nor do I wish I could propel myself back into the days of the butter churn. But this does feel like something which is getting away from us and altering us and the way we live our lives and interact with one another in unintended and probably irreversible ways.
Given those misgivings about modern technology as well as my genetic tendency to binge on the things I love, I am truly thankful that I’m blessed to have a life which includes a fair amount of “butter churning” in it. I don’t mean that literally but rather that I spend many hours a day sitting at something as relatively ancient as the piano . . . working with people who are developing an even more ancient musical instrument, the human voice! And almost every morning of my life, I am on the radio – using rather modern tools but in a form of media that has been around for quite awhile. And maybe most blessedly of all, I am someone who gets to read books. . . usually five or six a week. . . and if that doesn’t help keep me anchored on more solid, non-cyber ground, I don’t know what will.
Anyway, that’s just some random thoughts from someone who is still woefully befuddled by most of this technological wizardry yet grateful to have lived long enough to see it emerge – and grateful to have had the chance to dip my toe into these wondrous new waters without drowning.