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Two paths to take in the digital world
Texting may be taking a toll on teenagers, says the NYT: it "is beginning to worry physicians and psychologists, who say it is leading to anxiety, distraction in school, falling grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation."
Meanwhile, writes Simon Critchley in this post on happiness...
The rhythm of modern life is punctuated by beeps, bleeps and a generalized attention deficit disorder. But is the idea of happiness as an experience of contemplation really so ridiculous?
...and then Critchley quotes Rousseau, writing about "the simple feeling of existence, a feeling that fills our soul entirely."
One path represents the pursuit of more bitstreams, more time spent in the digital world. The other path pursues emptiness and the real world.
My own take is that the digital world needs some engagement - most of us can't afford to cast it off entirely - but whatever engagement we give it should be as efficient as possible. (See more in Bit Literacy.)
See also other posts on happiness:
• George Vaillant on what makes us happy
• Harvard's Daniel Gilbert on happiness and experience
