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!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
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!
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!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
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...
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...
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
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!
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!
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