Some things move relatively slowly. The period for Halley's Comet: 75.3 years. Most people are thrilled to see it once in a lifetime; those that see it twice are considered blessed. Certain oceanic currents will whip flotsam around for 6 to 13 years before washing it ashore on the other side of the world.
Other things may unfold more quickly - the blink of an eye, the twitch of a muscle. A good jazz song trots along at about 120-150 beats per minute.
And then there's life, which is... well... fleeting. For all the rich experiences we may possibly encounter in our lives, the generations of man pass in infinitely rapid procession like the pulse of hummingbird wings. We capture what we can and carry it with us. And the gift of personal consumer technology is that it enables us to do just that. Such was the lesson my daughter taught me yesterday when I picked her up from school. I arrived to her insistence that I witness her latest masterpiece. Unfortunately, I was on the phone with my mother at the time (yes, men can talk to their moms on a regular basis without being "mama's boys"). I congratulated my daughter on her fine work, and took the picture you see here with my T-Mobile G1 phone while continuing the conversation.
It wasn't until the chaos of the day subsided that I found time to go back and give the picture the attention it deserved. And there it was - something I hadn't noticed before: my daughter is actually a pretty talented architect. Structure. Symmetry. Function. Harmony. Aesthetics. Not bad at all for an 8 year old given the materials. Even more surprising was that, when asked later how she came up with the design (I'm thinking Greek temple), she denied that she saw it anywhere else or planned it out in advance. In her words, she just grabbed the blocks "and it came out."
Can personal technology be a distraction to us in experiencing the life that unfolds around us? Possibly. But, being the dualist that I am, I find equal interest in the countering effect of how it can help us capture the vanishing moments we would otherwise miss, flashing before us at shutter speed.
What do you think? I want to hear some examples from you about how your mobile device helps you take advantage of the moment.
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I think it's amazing what she created... and if you had not captured it on your phone, it would not have been preserved for you to review later and share with others.
ReplyDeleteAnother side to your quetsion about how the technology may help us capture moments otherwise missed... is to think of this particular example as viewed by your daughter. Would it be more encouraging and have more of an impact if you responded with your awe and amazement of her abilities while you are seeing it live and in person... or will it mean just as much to her if it comes later in the form of a response to the picture being reviewed...? Also, maybe the immediate 'presence' while viewing her creation would have been encouraging, but had you not preserved the moment digitally you may not have thought about it as much later... and that extra thought and attention could lead you to invest in ways to allow her to further explore this creative side of her personality...?
@Kevin -
ReplyDeleteThat's a very good point. Being an introvert, I sometimes forget how important it is for others that I be "present" in the moment. Studies have shown that tools like email and social apps have more benefited introverts like myself as they mirror our natural communication style.
Maybe what we sacrifice for use of these technologies is that they're slowly changing our cultural communication style. Definitely worth a post in itself!