the Digital age, too much info not enough thinking

I've been pondering about the digital age, and my place in it recently. My wife and I just gained some cred in the digital age by getting our first smartphones. First it is odd to feel that we may have been "behind" in some way prior to this acquisition. As if culture had passed us by and we were the technological equivalent of a monkey rubbing sticks together (thanks apple for making me feel uncool). But the more I thought about it the more I realized this is the way of the world. Change always comes, you adapt to it, or allow yourself to be left behind by it. The same is true with the digital age. However, I feel that in some ways we are losing something real in the switch to 1s and 0s.

 More specifically this is the pattern I had noticed in my own choices in slowly switching over, but there is part of me that is unwilling to let go of my pre-digital self ("analog boy in a digital world"). I have a kindle to read, an ipod to listen to music, netflix to watch television, but do all of these digital things have the same essence as their analog compadres? The same feelings of ownership? I find myself resisting the switch because there is a tangible connection to analog things, it's a mindset for me. The feel of a book, the hum of a record, the honesty in a conversation, these are all things that are real, lucid, and true. I don't find the same truth in their digital counterparts, they seem rather shallow in comparison. Do you feel the same way in talking to an old friend on facebook as you do hanging out and catching up? At what point are we giving up on real honest connection for what is the going replacement for it? God made us for relationships (with humans, NOT computers) and I think technology masquerading as relationship cheapens that gift. I think in making the digital switch we as consumers, and more importantly as humans are giving up a lot. While I see technology as a good thing, it is more akin to a tool like any other invention than a social revolution. Thus, it is not a direct replacement for the activities it seeks to make easier (or circumvent). While the social network has the ability to spread information quickly, this ability has some downsides when it is the only resource some seek out. So it is surprising to me how many rely for news and updates from twitter posts and facebook statuses and form opinions and values from them without any outside information or research. Closing thought: There is a reason internet usage/computer usage can be classified as a process addiction. The need for instant gratification technology brings is rewiring brains (Wired article). The internet and technology are wonderful tools for education, communication, and information gathering however, but when taken as the new normal, they leave us with a breadth of knowledge but a lack of depth.

This whole idea is well discussed in the following blog discussing the Kony 2012 debacle and the spread of social media in replacement for actual thinking and logical reasoning.

When am I an adult?

I'm not going to lie, writing up my first blog post took an incredibly larger amount of time than I originally imagined. It can be nerve-racking to write thoughts down and wonder if they are relevant, and matter to anyone outside your own mind.  But without further ado, here is Digging Deeper's first blog entry.

Am I an adult? I am 25, married, and in graduate school (seems grown-up enough right?)

Despite this I feel as though the modern sense of what adulthood is and when it begins is an ever evolving catch 22 for those of us in our mid-late twenties, especially for new college grads. I think there is a distinct difference between being an adult through the tasks/behaviors you are involved in (getting married, working a full-time job, taking responsibility) and how the world and society views you. You can be as adult like as you want with how you interact with the world, but there are times society can completely discount those adult behaviors due to appearance. So I think the second distinction is where I hit a snag. It seems to be almost universal that no matter the situation I am in, I'm continually "the young guy" or get comments that are equally invalidating. I am 25, not 16, and while it may be polite to point out my youthful appearance, it makes it difficult to be seen as a professional who is competent and knows what he is doing.  I feel like 30 is the new 20. It has never been so "in" to be young (even when you are not young, I'm looking at you Joan Rivers), yet on the flip side being young in American culture gets you less respect thanks to the American cultural heuristic that tells us older = good/better. At what point does the "young guy" treatment end?  I feel as though you aren't seen as an "adult" in an job/career until you are into your 40s, you are an adult when you take on real life responsibilities like getting married and having kids around 25-30, and you are an adult and can kill people at 18 according to the government. Having different social lenses with which to view adulthood makes the internal feeling of being an adult a moving target. In a lot of ways there is always another step to be "more" adult, and finding that adult "identity" has been nearly impossible as I have gotten older. However, none of this matters if I don't believe in how I view myself. I am an adult, but does that make me an adult? It sure does. The self-fulfilling prophecy will only continue until I accept the part of being an adult, whether I believe others see me that way or not. The social lense is a nice barometer of truth, but at the end of the day you are what you eat (or for this metaphor you are who you eat...errr rather you are the person that you accept you are).

 I will leave this post with some lyrics from a band I respect a great deal and a final thought:

"it seems my life is always under par...When does my life become my own?"

Am I an adult? I love God, Love my wife, care for those around me, and take life seriously...is that enough?

Introduction to Digging Deeper

Greetings. I wanted to start out my blogging career with a description of why I am writing this blog at all. Purpose before action is an important thing to me, and I hope to allow those who read this blog to understand my heart and purpose for creating this space. A little over three weeks ago I turned 25, which might strike some as unimportant, but it seemed signifcant to me, and perhaps a jumping off point for reflection and search for meaning of who I am, where I stand, and what is important to me. I know I am not 50 or retiring so why all the self-reflection? Well first, I am in a counseling master's program, and self-reflection is not only the name of the game, but it literally is a game (we practice on wednesdays), but also I have always had a focus on myself internally (i'm an introvert, what can you do?) and what I am doing with my life, almost like a life report card (unfortunately there are no discounts for high grades). It has always been important to me to dig deeper in my life, with people, with God, and in issues that are important to me. "The unexamined life, truly is not worth living" rings true to me in many ways. As I was pondering this certain inclination of myself, I slowly began to realize that digging deeper is a giant area that seems unimportant in American society. Shallow is replaced for deep connection, and no one is the wiser (did you hear about the ipad 3?!?!). I am guilty of this consistently as well, but in turning a quarter century, I felt it time to start a discussion that might be challenging and maybe push you to go deeper with yourself, and others. I don't know about anyone else but I love discussions like the one I am describing, and you know when you have just had one, because it's all you think about for hours or days. It changes you, it makes you think, and makes you feel something. I want that for this blog, and I want that for myself, so I ask will you dig deeper with me?