I recently, well maybe not that recently, found an article about people who were too concerned with taking pictures and selfies with a baby shark, that they killed it. They held it above water, handed it around, until it died. It was immensely sad, but for so many reasons.
1) Culture
I think one can see a cultural shift we have occurring, at least in Western society I have encountered. There’s the emphasis on living in the virtual world. Whether that be posting constant status updates or instragrams or tweets. I am not saying using these platforms is bad at all, I am just saying there is a cultural shift where people’s lives are playing out online. It’s people who consistently upload things for likes, tweets, instagram everything. It’s not about using the sites, it’s about what they use them for. I recently saw that when I was watching the pilot, Selfie. It’s about being able to balance experiencing one moment to to the other, and documenting it. Maybe this shift started slowly, when people began photographing things. And don’t get me wrong, I love photos. It’s not about the medium, it’s about what people are doing with it. It’s about valuing instant gratification, virtual relationships. It’s about the relationships. If you friend someone on facebook are they really your friend? Is it a degradation of the value and title of friend? As pictured in the show, would any of them actually come to help you? It requires taking a harder look at why one does these things. I remember having discussions about the value of likes, monetarily, etc and that’s all fine, but it’s about trying to get more facebook friends instead of friends that will come pick you up after a hard day of work. It’s about those friendships you find rarely that last your whole life. I have already seen how people’s communication can completely break down virtually. People who are more comfortable texting at the dinner table instead of talking. Those who can’t have a meal without their phones. Those who can only text instead of talk on the phone. Communication, relationships, and values. I am not preaching about the disadvantages of modern technology or anything, but I am asking myself to take a closer look.
2) Symbiotic Relationship with Nature
One of the books I had to read for my thesis had a significant emphasis on a symbiotic relationship with the Earth. There were a lot of issues and what not with the books, and this relationship wasn’t the main issue of the novel, but the article made me think of the book. While it wasn’t the utopic relationship that beings should have with nature, it was a step in the right direction. Because I think, to some extent, people think of nature as a separate alien entity. Something to wonder at, something that surrounds them, but they don’t see themselves in nature. There isn’t a blending, a melding, or any connection. When I think that’s what is important. We aren’t just inhabitants, we are in nature. And Earth, this, is our home. We have to treat nature respectfully. We make a huge imprint. I think it should be our responsibility to make an imprint respectfully. Further more, there’s such a huge divide between animals and humans, that some people maintain. I am not going to deny there are differences with culture, language, biology, etc. But by maintaining such a strong difference makes it easier for people to pretend that these animals are “Other” and this makes it easier for people to disrespect and use them. I don’t have a solution. But I know that part of alienation will cause a lack of disrespect and compassion. And, as we can see around us, this can cause catastrophic consequences (hunting animals for sport or for trophies, bringing species to the brink of extinction).
3) Future?
And my main question is what does this say for our future? For my future kid’s relationships? Will they find their lover on a website? Will they need a phone in elementary school? Will they never feel a paper book in their hands? What will the future look like for them? It’s incredibly interesting to see around you, in your whole life how society changes, but it’s also important to really truly look. All I can think about, in regards to the future, is about my own behavior and my children’s.