Reflections of Me: The Strange Case of the Isolated Ego
Recently, one of the late night television show hosts ( they are legion now )--possibly Kimmel--did a little man-on-the-street video blurb. These of course are done tongue-in-cheek and strictly for entertainment purposes. However, occasionally they can be revealing about our society's condition, without intending to be, while still not intended to ever be taken seriously.
This particular one purported to ask people on the street to name a book. Any book. Not even that they had read, just name a book. The ones that were aired, of course, were unable to name even one. Even the Bible didn't occur to them ( it is, after all, a book ). This was the entertainment intent of the piece. One man named a film, a video make of a book but which did not have the same title as the book it was taken from. ( There are a lot of movies that are like that, BTW ; it has been so since the beginning of films. )
I found myself not surprised by this, and that, upon reflection, surprised me. Given my own upbringing and background, that is. However, for a couple of decades now I have grown used to the use of the internet, and social media, which it seems has taken the place of the written word. Oh, yes, there are still many who write, many who write well, but they do it online. Even books have had to, for monetary reasons, give in to the digital age. However, they still exist. People still write them. But, does anyone actually read them?
Or do we wait for the movie? Or, a video review, or a audible ( narrated ) edition? I realize I have been watching this happen, and even participated. How many of us spend a hour or so a day even reading a newspaper? How many of us can afford to even subscribe to a newspaper? And if we do, do we read the articles? Or--as I used to do--have our favorite sections ( like Sports, and Comics )--and just read those? And even if we do, how many of the articles do we actually read, and not just skim through ( Evelyn Woods speed readin' course--sorry, old reference to humor that most won't have a clue of )? We have, today, literally hundreds of cable, satellite, and streaming video channels to choose from. Almost any film we can think of to watch, given our ability to afford it. Dedicated 'news' channels. Online, streaming videos by any Tom, Dick, or Harry who has a opinion, a video camera, video editing software, and fast upload speeds.
Too much, really. A surfeit of choices. From which we can choose what we like, what we agree with, and ignore the rest. After all, we have lives, right? Who has the time to spend hours on one thing when we can sit back and be entertained as we please? Then, I was reading a book ( yes, I do---I read a lot of books, some of them quite good actually, even though I have given in and depend on ebooks now. Hey, I have no room left to store hard copies!! I have hundreds. ) recently, and a phrase in it caught my eye. Reminding me of a word that I had long forgotten, and never used, but could have, in brief, described our society's modern attitude towards education, politics, leisure, and news.
This was from a short story, by Tanith Lee, entitled 'Sea Warg', and it was written thus :
" We live in the age of Solipsism. You care only for yourself and that which is yours. The agony of another -- or even the existence of monstrosity -- goes almost unnoticed unless viewed on film or video or in pixels...."
Solipsism. Websters defines it : a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing; also : extreme egocentrism .
So. Is this where we are as a Nation? It certainly looks like it to me, and, hey, I am as much a part of it as anyone. We can post our own opinions, comments, and theories beneath nearly anything, and not worry about repercussions other than written responses. Providing anyone even bothers. Having conversations and discussions face to face is becoming more rare all the time. We skim read a news article ; we watch 30 seconds of a 3 minute video report ; we use our cell phones as video cameras and catch only that we want to catch, and those viewing never even suspect they may be seeing only 60 seconds of something that took 15 minutes or longer to occur. Then we read other users' comments, and, the result is staggering in it's stupidity sometimes. Vile and disgusting would be mild terms to describe what some say.
One wonders--where are these people when these things are being discussed in public? Of course, some do it only to get a reaction, or to play 'devil's advocate' as it were, but not nearly all of them. It requires a bit more familiarity with the use of words to be effective doing that. They must be out there, right? Where are they? When people get together over coffee, or at a restaurant, or anyplace other than a bar -- are these people there? And if not, why aren't we where they are?
Because if we went where they are, and we tried to discuss our views and theirs, what would happen is--fight. There WILL be blood. So, we don't go there. They don't go where we are. Nobody meets face to face and actually talks. Because someone might hear something that just might make them question the accuracy of their own beliefs. Make them acknowledge that there really are other human beings sharing this planet, and maybe they all agree on a lot more than they disagree on. Sure, there will be some who simply must be louder than everyone else, who feel they are the only voice that need be heard, but it used to be--I know, in the 'good old days'--that the rest of us could just walk away and leave them shouting on their little soapboxes all by themselves.
Solipsism. The internet has opened up our need to be of the self, and catered to it. To know nothing but our own modifications. To be the only existent thing. There is a entire generation growing up now who have never known another way. Who cannot deal with a real social setting--such as a school--where others may not agree with them. They find like minds online, yeah? Their self is enhanced. But, they go out in public and experience rejection. Failure. Taunting. Bullying. Sometimes, it follows them home and invades their social media presence. And they do not know how to handle it. How to deal with those who disagree, who taunt, who bully. Just as those performing those things do not know how to deal with them, because they too have become consumed with the self.
It's all about "me" . We have even elected as President one of the prime examples of this. One could put his picture next to the word solipsism in it's definition. Along with the pictures of millions of others, who revel in his every boast, insult, and lie.
Words. They can be used to build, or they can be used to destroy. Their best use is to educate, elucidate, and describe what could be, create peace where war wants to intervene, without firing a shot. Ideal world, yes?
Won't happen. Doesn't mean, we should stop trying.
This particular one purported to ask people on the street to name a book. Any book. Not even that they had read, just name a book. The ones that were aired, of course, were unable to name even one. Even the Bible didn't occur to them ( it is, after all, a book ). This was the entertainment intent of the piece. One man named a film, a video make of a book but which did not have the same title as the book it was taken from. ( There are a lot of movies that are like that, BTW ; it has been so since the beginning of films. )
I found myself not surprised by this, and that, upon reflection, surprised me. Given my own upbringing and background, that is. However, for a couple of decades now I have grown used to the use of the internet, and social media, which it seems has taken the place of the written word. Oh, yes, there are still many who write, many who write well, but they do it online. Even books have had to, for monetary reasons, give in to the digital age. However, they still exist. People still write them. But, does anyone actually read them?
Or do we wait for the movie? Or, a video review, or a audible ( narrated ) edition? I realize I have been watching this happen, and even participated. How many of us spend a hour or so a day even reading a newspaper? How many of us can afford to even subscribe to a newspaper? And if we do, do we read the articles? Or--as I used to do--have our favorite sections ( like Sports, and Comics )--and just read those? And even if we do, how many of the articles do we actually read, and not just skim through ( Evelyn Woods speed readin' course--sorry, old reference to humor that most won't have a clue of )? We have, today, literally hundreds of cable, satellite, and streaming video channels to choose from. Almost any film we can think of to watch, given our ability to afford it. Dedicated 'news' channels. Online, streaming videos by any Tom, Dick, or Harry who has a opinion, a video camera, video editing software, and fast upload speeds.
Too much, really. A surfeit of choices. From which we can choose what we like, what we agree with, and ignore the rest. After all, we have lives, right? Who has the time to spend hours on one thing when we can sit back and be entertained as we please? Then, I was reading a book ( yes, I do---I read a lot of books, some of them quite good actually, even though I have given in and depend on ebooks now. Hey, I have no room left to store hard copies!! I have hundreds. ) recently, and a phrase in it caught my eye. Reminding me of a word that I had long forgotten, and never used, but could have, in brief, described our society's modern attitude towards education, politics, leisure, and news.
This was from a short story, by Tanith Lee, entitled 'Sea Warg', and it was written thus :
" We live in the age of Solipsism. You care only for yourself and that which is yours. The agony of another -- or even the existence of monstrosity -- goes almost unnoticed unless viewed on film or video or in pixels...."
Solipsism. Websters defines it : a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing; also : extreme egocentrism .
So. Is this where we are as a Nation? It certainly looks like it to me, and, hey, I am as much a part of it as anyone. We can post our own opinions, comments, and theories beneath nearly anything, and not worry about repercussions other than written responses. Providing anyone even bothers. Having conversations and discussions face to face is becoming more rare all the time. We skim read a news article ; we watch 30 seconds of a 3 minute video report ; we use our cell phones as video cameras and catch only that we want to catch, and those viewing never even suspect they may be seeing only 60 seconds of something that took 15 minutes or longer to occur. Then we read other users' comments, and, the result is staggering in it's stupidity sometimes. Vile and disgusting would be mild terms to describe what some say.
One wonders--where are these people when these things are being discussed in public? Of course, some do it only to get a reaction, or to play 'devil's advocate' as it were, but not nearly all of them. It requires a bit more familiarity with the use of words to be effective doing that. They must be out there, right? Where are they? When people get together over coffee, or at a restaurant, or anyplace other than a bar -- are these people there? And if not, why aren't we where they are?
Because if we went where they are, and we tried to discuss our views and theirs, what would happen is--fight. There WILL be blood. So, we don't go there. They don't go where we are. Nobody meets face to face and actually talks. Because someone might hear something that just might make them question the accuracy of their own beliefs. Make them acknowledge that there really are other human beings sharing this planet, and maybe they all agree on a lot more than they disagree on. Sure, there will be some who simply must be louder than everyone else, who feel they are the only voice that need be heard, but it used to be--I know, in the 'good old days'--that the rest of us could just walk away and leave them shouting on their little soapboxes all by themselves.
Solipsism. The internet has opened up our need to be of the self, and catered to it. To know nothing but our own modifications. To be the only existent thing. There is a entire generation growing up now who have never known another way. Who cannot deal with a real social setting--such as a school--where others may not agree with them. They find like minds online, yeah? Their self is enhanced. But, they go out in public and experience rejection. Failure. Taunting. Bullying. Sometimes, it follows them home and invades their social media presence. And they do not know how to handle it. How to deal with those who disagree, who taunt, who bully. Just as those performing those things do not know how to deal with them, because they too have become consumed with the self.
It's all about "me" . We have even elected as President one of the prime examples of this. One could put his picture next to the word solipsism in it's definition. Along with the pictures of millions of others, who revel in his every boast, insult, and lie.
Words. They can be used to build, or they can be used to destroy. Their best use is to educate, elucidate, and describe what could be, create peace where war wants to intervene, without firing a shot. Ideal world, yes?
Won't happen. Doesn't mean, we should stop trying.
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