Confidence built, Terms applied, Beliefs solidified.

This class certainly has stretched the bounds of my thoughts on the social aspects of our society. Ethics, freedoms and rights, simplicity, "living deliberately: all topics I have thoroughly covered in my mind due to this class. What has this class taught me? First, I'd say that'd be that we live in a world with many faults. We always have, and most likely always will. Still, it's worth fighting, persisting, aiding, for what, in your opinion, is the right way to live. After all, what else are we going to do with our time? Second, nothing is as it seems. Only through careful deliberation and due process of thought can one begin to catch a glimpse of the complexity of any of the problems we have facing our society today. Even then one may be wrong. It is quite important to have the perspective of the whole of our existence, and not what our current lives have trained our eyes to see and ears to hear.
 
This class has conditioned me to be more confident in  airing my thoughts in front of a critical audience, and being comfortable with speaking to a large group about my opinions and not just a preset presentation.
The authors of these pieces of literature helped solidify they idea that being different and not fitting in to the society around you is completely and totally alright. It's OK to disagree with everybody and live differently. Especially with those I identify like Vonnegut, Thoreau, and Emerson, I've taken away the idea that it is not an absolute goal to belong to any community. Community is simply a human pursuit that fulfills the desire to create value within oneself. 

Vonnegut taught me that being kind is not always the end all be all. In his case, as I see it, his aggressive response to actions taken against his book was necessary and executed with acute skill.

The idea of plenitude has helped me identify a feeling that I too have and  could not previously explain to those around me. I now have a term for it and a method of explaining this perverse affliction that seems to have taken hold of a lot of the western world, and eastern world as well.

Above all else, all of the authors of the chosen literature for this class have defended what they believe in with passion and heart. This, I have come to realize, is what separates great people from the rest of those around them.

I understand that the voyeuristic aspects of this type of entertainment is alluring. However, many people also admit that they know the shows are scripted, that they are done up by people other than themselves, and that the personalities they represent are really not all that much like themselves. Why are we so ready to accept this if the reason for our entertainment is because it is voyeuristic? Does the the preplanned aspects of these shows not detract from that part of the quality of entertainment? I quote my girlfriend, saying, "It's just because they are so stupid that it's funny. And there is a thin line between being funny and annoying." Why is it funny? I tried to watch Jersey Shore with her and it annoys me. It frustrates me from lack of logic and lack of characters with a real sense of what it's like to live in this world of ours. Aha, could it be that we are simply not satisfied with this reality and prefer to defer to that of our celebrity counterparts. Perhaps it is less voyeuristic and possibly more vicarious. We don't just like comparing ourselves to them, we like living their lives. Maybe we're not that much different than those folks from Second Skin after all (Except we're not even willing to put the time in to create the characters we want, we prefer the media to make them for us)

If this is true I am wondering what it is about our lives that are less interesting or fulfilling that those in the 'realities' we watch on t.v. I agree that I feel unfulfilled by this culture we now in, at least that which I have yet been exposed to. However, I feel that this stems from an overabundance of technology and useless communication, all of which make possible and add to the existence of these reality shows. In other words, I think T.V. is part of the problem. If you don't feel fulfilled by your life in this day, I encourage you to comment about what your reasoning is!

Thoreau Challenge: Blog 3, Coming to an End

Today is the last day of my official Thoreau Challenge. At midnight I can officially go back to using any means of communication and entertainment if I wish. I think i have fared well. My trip to South Carolina was a huge success for those who care to know!  And without technology for the most part.


I feel that my predictions for this week largely came true. I spent a lot of my time reading and meditating. I read the fifth Harry Potter book during the break, haha. Also, I had an unusually large amount of homework to do so I'm not sure how much else I would have been doing this week anyways. Regardless, I have come away with a greater sense of the present moment. I am seriously considering canceling my Facebook account. I've also realized that I spend way too much time on StumbleUpon, for it's search categories are far too vague to keep me intrigued. Websites like TED however, will always keep my attention as long as they are available.

This week gave me a chance to do a little pruning and organizing of my time spent during the day. If nothing else, I have realized what I really find to be worth my time and what has merely been keeping me busy. Furthormore, I have realized that we don't always need to be making progress with ourselves. At some points during this week I simply had nothing to do, and reading for hours was my only option. This has helped me realize that the present moment needs to be experienced rather than utilized. While it may be a stretch, I could say that I have developed a better sense of self because of this. While I didn't actually really change that much of my daily life, I did pay attention to it more and have come to understand why I do what I do. I'm interested to see what's been going on in the whole wide world while I was away!

Thoreau Challenge Blog 2

Hello everybody. So far, this week has been fairly easy. I have been coping with a bit of boredom. I had a twelve hour train ride to get down here to Charelston so I had to do homework and sleep for that time. It certianly was a more productive train ride because I couldn't listen to muisic! I did, after all, have to call my girlfriend to let her know I had arrived, but other than that I've have abstained from technology.

The feeling I have from the past few days can be described as free. I don't feel like I have the need to talk to my friends even though I'm not with them. I don't feel the need to tell the world any useless this that I'm thinking or doing. All that matters is what I'm doing at the moment, and what I've been doing is living. I've really been thinking about being present in the moment right now. I feel more alive. More connected to the world. More in touch with myself. I can be more patient because I live at my own pace. The speed at which I can move through information is restricted by my resources rather than the speed at which my brain can process it. I think this has all been magnified because this is the first time I've seen my girlfriend in a couple month's. I have had as little distractions as possible from being present with her during the time I have down here. Good timing!

These past few days has helped to show me the transparency of the things I value in my daily life. Connection with my friends is great, but through technology just makes it less valuable, less worthwhile.

If these past few days have shown me anything it is that I would LOVE to go out and live like Thoreau did for a year's time. I'm looking forward to the rest of this week, and am cetainly thinking about how much of this week I can practically apply to daily life afterwards. I will check in with you at the end of my week. Thanks for reading!

In this novel, Big Brother is the government. However, unlike our current American structure, the government in 1984 controls everything. There is no consumerism, there don't seem to be any corporations (except for maybe Victory which is a government brand) , there is no voting. Literally all freedoms of the people have been eradicated. One does not have privacy,  legally. Common people must keep their televisions on in their one bedroom abodes all the time, and as seen in the movie are not aloud to conspire intimately.
 
The question concerning whether we have lost our rights to privacy brings to mind rights to partnership between any gender which I believe we have mostly overcome and the Patriot Act. By 1970, approx. 22 states had struck down all sodomy laws, or in other words a law that deems any type of sexual act illegal.  Not until 2003 had the 14 remaining states who still had sodomy laws at that time repealed the law. Up until the 1960's it was illegal for a a citizen to commit a homosexual act in any state. Nowadays, there is no punishment for sexual acts of the type, however if a homosexual couple gets legally married in one state and move to a state that does not recognize their marriage, they cannot get a divorce, or observe the same benefits marries couples do. This just seems outrageous. I understand there is legal proceeding for all laws, and that bureaucracy advances slower than the societal opinion however the article in the second link brings up a very good point. The use of marijuana within a private residence can also be viewed as a right to privacy, however the debate of its legality seems rocky. I understand that one should be able to do what they want within their own homes (as long as it isn't detrimental to others) however the effects of marijuana are largely unknown and could potentially wreak havoc if treated improperly.

The Patriot Act can be seen as an even more direct similarity between Oswell's Big Brother. Good intentions are there but I see too much room for misuse and maltreatment. There is a very thin line between protecting the good of the people and committing unconstitutional acts concerning our citizens privacy. I know this shouldn't be of concern, but I won't keep my web cam on the top of my computer when it's not in use (haha) It gives me peace of mind. I personally wouldn't want this type of activity going on if I had the choice. We deserve to be treated innocent until probable cause warrants further search.

Privacy does exist, at least in the United States. There are certain aspects of our society that question the integrity of our privacy, but for the most part we experience freedom to choose our action in almost all spectrum of life. At least....as far as we can tell...

Thoreau Challenge: A Chance to Have Patience with Myself.

Farewell my friends! Today is the first day of my Thoreau Challenge. I will be going without 'technology' for the next 7 days. I will end on the 11th at midnight. I say technology because technology is really just the most up to date anything that we have today. For instance, a crossbow used to be technology. With this in mind, what does the Thoreau Challenge really entail? One could potentially take this to many spectrums. I will not be using any electronic devices. To be more specific, I will not be using any communicative device or device used for entertainment. In other words I will not be using an device that could potentially be used to talk to people electronically, i.e.,  my phone, computer, or for entertainment, i.e. my computer (again), ipod, or my t.v. (that should be easy considering I don't have one). Technically, using a clock to tell time, and eating refrigerated food could be considered using electronic technology but I think for the sake of this experiment we can rule that out.

So, now on to how my life will be changing over the next week:

Proportionally, I use my computer for homework for the majority of the time. This won't be changing due to the parameters of the experiment. The second biggest use is music. No listening to music for a week. This should be easy because half the time that I'm listening to music it's so that I can learn to play it myself. I may not be making much progress in the next week but that will give me time to work on my own songs! I also spend a lot of time on High Existence conversing on their forums. Maybe while i'm not there you can keep them company! I use StumbleUpon fairly frequently, and I have a Facebook that I check every now and then. Therefore, no Facebook no StumbleUpon, and no High Existence. This gives me the reason i've been looking for to distance myself from Facebook but I will miss the conversations that I engage in on High Existence.

My cell phone is my second primary use of electronic technology. I will not be calling anyone nor will I be texting. (except when I tell my girlfriend, Erica, that I've arrived in Charleston to visit her.) Besides Erica, I don't text all that much, and I'm seeing her in two days so that won't be so hard.

I typically read the newspaper but in lieu of this being the "Thoreau Challenge" I have also decided to abstain from the news. I like to keep up with things such as Occupy Wall Street and conflicts overseas but I think to capture the essence of this experiment I don't just want to rid my self of technology but also any external dialogue on matters not pertaining to my own experience.

Predictions: I am actually looking forward to this week. The type of dialogue on High Existence is typically that having an open mind, understanding your consciousness, living healthier (both physically and mentally) etc. This really gives me a chance to step back from what I think about all the time and walk the walk. While I meditate everyday, I also am otherwise moving on to different topics so often that i don't really have time to apply what i'm conversing about and actually experience it. I am hoping to really take some the perspectives i've gained and apply them to real experiences. I have high expectations for this week. I'll keep you informed on how things are going in a few days. Au revoir!

Simplicity Simplicity Simplicity

I am particularly attracted to the lifestyle outlined and lived by Thoreau in his book Walden. There is much more to be gained by living in the woods than most people seem to think. When I spend extended periods of time in the 'wilderness' (if that even exists anymore) I see the beauty in everything much more clearly. My mind feels less cluttered, less rushed, and healthier. One lives at the pace they want, and on their own terms. I can understand why someone would feel unfulfilled living in a world where there is much more stimulation, there is always someone to talk to, and all the food you could want at your fingertips. But I think this is just a product of growing up in an environment like that. I personally feel satisfied by the little things; waking up early, a hot cup of tea, a book, hot sun, and a bed to sleep in. These types of things bring me more joy than any other such thing than one could find in our everyday lives. As Emerson put it "If I am the child of the devil, then I will live of the devil." This doesn't mean that if he were the devil's child he would work for the devil, it just means that he recognizes where he's from and it does no good to ignore a part of who you are. To live unto thyself, that is to live the way you would live without someone telling you how to, is my ultimate goal. What better way to do so than remove these external sources?

The only spurn about living this life is the lack of community. We are inherently social beings and I think that conversations do much more for a person than what we see on the surface. It certainly would be a very enjoyable experience to live this way but even Thoreau felt the need to tell the world about his experience. No matter how much this way of life was for him, or how much he enjoyed living alone, he still wrote a book about it in order to create commentary with other people.

Above all else, living alone in the woods wouldn't be a struggle for me. I would find it enjoyable, in fact it is something I actively seek. I spend time on the Appalachian Trail overnights when possible and I find nature and the solitude to be refreshing.

Regardless, I don't think anybody should be told how to live (as long as it isn't a detriment to other people) and if technology is too ingrained in your daily life, or you just don't like nature than you shouldn't feel regret for not wanting to live this way. While I think we as a people have deviated from a simple lifestyle that is best for us, that doesn't mean anyone has to agree with me.

Same Story, Different Generation.

It is a reoccurring pattern in which each generation that grows up thinks that the youngest generation at the time is the dumbest/laziest/most apathetic group of people in history. Bauerline is just another of those older folk who like to stand on their soap box and rant about why the Baby boomers are that much more inspired and productive. Our generation will come around the capabilities of the technology available to us. It is often staggering to hear statistics about what our generation does with our own free time but nobody seems to want to offer up information about what the children who were under 20 of any other generation did with their free time. Just because we have technology to fill our time doesn't mean were being any less productive than other generations. I would agree we are being less social, and that technology is inhibiting the process which allows us to develop social communicative skills but the productivity of our generation is another topic of discussion.

Getting away from it all.

When Lasn suggests "Perhaps there is no such thing as an authentic self... We understand intuitively that machines are becoming more like humans, and now via the promise of virtual reality we have the opportunity to meet machines halfway" First, I ask in what ways are we acting more like machines? I see virtual reality as another step for machines in the direction of humans. We have simply created a machine in which the user can feel less like they are operating a machine. I disagree with the statement than we are meeting them halfway. Also, like many others have argued, these warnings and negative comments are written in the wrong tense. It is certainly evident that a (quickly) growing portion of the population is turning to online gameplay.  The author writes as if this entire portion is in the category of "addicted." This is also certainly not true. While I do not think these statements are currently true, they are becoming true. Slowly, and it is not inevitable or impossible to divert, these things are happening but as I see it the human race has an uncanny ability to fix things in dire situations. If gaming ends up being blatantly detrimental to people, these problems will be averted. A convincing argument for the power of gaming is given by Jane McGonigal at a TED Conference in 2010

 Whether it was the frontier of the West or the frontier of traveling to the moon, every generation of Americans has had a 'frontier' to identify with. Some have predicted that far space will be the next frontier, however, our technology advanced enough to do so. Even still, humans wouldn't be so connected to this frontier as it would largely remain conceptual for over 99% of the population. The virtual realm offers a frontier that is close to the everyday person and it is largely unexplored. The fact that it is quite possibly a vast and endless wasteland makes it all that much more intriguing to find out. These, of course, are opinions not about my personal feelings but towards people as a whole.

I found it interesting that some people describe their experience of gaming as "liberating" or "freeing". Just yesterday I read an article about fear and backpacking in the wilderness. Some of the participants in the study described being in the wilderness exactly the same way. Are these people both fulfilling the same desires or are the causes of these feelings different? Both people engage in these activites because they want to get away from societal norms and structures. It is discouraging to see that people deviate away from an activity that is which is physically and mentally healthy to an activity which is questionable in both aspects.

Blog 2: A Call to See Clearly

 The literature discussed this week, including the Autumnal section of Culture Jam and "It's Gotta Be The Cheese", have one overarching theme. That is to see the present climate of American culture as it really is. Neither of these pieces does much to call us into action but rather serves to lift the veil that corporations and the recent societal trends have laid over our eyes. While the chapter entitled "Media Virus" informs us that the noise created by the machines which have cluttered our daily landscape has become a backdrop to normal life, it does not specifically give any instruction as to how we can avoid this or fix the problem. I expect to see much more of this in the later chapters of Culture Jam after the author has established the basis of problems in our consumer driven culture. A poem I read recently doesn't exactly relate to the literature at face value, but it does however relate to living in a way that is best for the collective entity that we are as a society. I think that is what this book is truly about in it's most simple ideas.

The objectives of the movement known as culture jamming or guerrilla semiotics must find themselves in a catch 22 in creating support for their ideals. One main point made is not to be swayed by the media and advertising, but do they not need to use the same tactics in order to change people's opinion? The symbol of a person/child with a T.V. for a head or for an eye has become somewhat of an icon for the culture jamming. It is supposed to evoke emotions of retaliation for the lifestyle in which we live (and to change that lifestyle to one which the people of this movement believe is better) and is therefore essentially an advertisement for culture jamming. While I agree with the ideals of the movement and feel their philosophies should be adopted I think it is a hard battle to fight in a society in which advertising is the way to get your voice heard.

As a side note, I was thinking this weekend about certain aspects of background noise in my everyday life. In my hometown we have a Naval Air Base and subsequently a lot of planes flying overhead. When I spend time in the woods there is always that bit of noise from a plane flying overhead. When I spend time on the Appalachian trail out here it is exceptionally apparent to me that there are no planes overhead. While I enjoy this more it's interesting that the absence of that noise comes to my attention rather than the existence of the noise. Maybe this is what we need to do with other aspects of noise too; make some sort of effort to eliminate noise you are used to.

Introduction

Hi, I am Brian Schilling and I am a sophomore geoenvironmental major. I became interested in this class because I have passion for literature; especially that which has been revolutionary at one time or another. The last book I read was The Great Gatsby, and before that, The Last of the Mohicans. I find it hard to take interest in modern pop culture due to the widespread commercialism, at least in America anyways. However, I do take much interest in studying art and music from other eras. I have had a long history with literature; I started reading Stephen King in 7th grade and it was all uphill from there. Above entertainment I think literature is the expression of culture through text. Popular literature usually draws from movements in culture during the time it was written, but there are also works which show deviations in the popular culture of that time.