Social media connects people around the world, making possible relationships that could otherwise never have existed. It also creates the temptation to view our experiences through the lens of what we can share for others to view—and through the literal lens of a phone camera—rather than actually surrendering to the experience of the moment.
What habits tend to distance you from your own direct experiences?
I rely on Nature programs on PBS to learn more and “observe” happenings in the natural world that I myself will never have the opportunity to experience. Experiencing physically what’s going on in some part of the deep ocean isn’t my desire but I learn so much from the experience of others . One of my favorite tales is this: I asked an 8 year old if she had ever seen an octopus.”Of course”, she said. “Where? ” I said. “On television” she replied. I challenged her “Have you ever felt an octopus, or see it in the ocean or smelled I?” I asked “Of course not” she laughed. The point of this was not to embarrass her but to realize myself that devotion to TV etc. does not allow many (IMO) to understand the difference between what’s real and what is what we call “virtual reality” instead.
I think you hit the nail right on the head, it’s social media, especially Facebook. It’s important for me to be active on FB for business reasons. I have a lot of liberal, and particularly UU, FB friends. We are so eager to try to help with all the problems of the world, and consequently, that’s what I mostly read about on FB–problems, especially political problems, but also Southern District problems, injustice problems, and on and on. Put this together with the fact that most of my work is solitary, and I think it gives me a skewed notion of what people are mostly thinking about all day long. But when I get out and talk with people, I find that they have lots of other things on their minds and lots of other things to talk about. I have learned to limit my exposure to FB, and lately I have been working on getting out in groups of people more often. There’s a women’s group that meets once a month and “Inklings,” which is basically a group of Lord of the Rings nerds (like me). Reading and watching fictional stories in which, for example, the detectives spend several days solving a crime without ever mentioning politics, also helps.
Thanks! Margaret, I am a semi-addict for the MHZ (PBS) International mysteries and my friends know that I won’t answer the phone when they are on, usually Sunday eves. However, they don’t want to discuss them, I find, so this is one pseudo-reality I indulge in individually.
Would that include the Midsommer series? I love those and happy to talk about them. I got a subscription to Acorn TV for Xmas, so I have been watching all the older ones on that. It streams on the computer, and I connect the computer to the TV with a VGA cable, so I can watch on a larger screen. Also watched all the Poirot on Acorn.
Margaret, you are far ahead of me with technology! I just know how to press “on” with my small TV. My favorites are the European mysteries, especially from Sweden, Germany and Italy. Montalbano, in a setting in lovely Sicily, is SOOOO good (as some say)! Thanks for your comment; I’ve seen Poirot too.
Midsommer is British, and they are currently running on PBS on Saturdays, at least our local PBS station is running them.