Members
Poems
lunarr
Apr 2015
w o r d s and "phrases"
they begin to lose
their [meaning:] and and
if they are spoh-kun(n.) over over over again.
for instance the "phrase"
hi, how are you is only s a i d to trIcK
people (into) thinking that they are
actually
interested
which the probability of that is l
o t
w o r d s are OVERUSED w. n
||overused overused overused|| i
and -not- o
used with !!!caution!!! to the p
w h e r e
they begin to lose [meaning:]
all i ask? is to d'o'n't' become the boy who
//CRIED\ >WOLF<
but instead of a ^^^^
you used
w o r d s and "phrases"
they begin to lose
their [meaning:] and and
if they are spoh-kun(n.) over over over again.
for instance the "phrase"
hi, how are you is only s a i d to trIcK
people (into) thinking that they are
actually
interested
which the probability of that is l
o t
w o r d s are OVERUSED w. n
||overused overused overused|| i
and -not- o
used with !!!caution!!! to the p
w h e r e
they begin to lose [meaning:]
all i ask? is to d'o'n't' become the boy who
//CRIED\ >WOLF<
but instead of a ^^^^
you used
w o r d s and "phrases"
visual poetry
Zeeb Jul 2015
Hot Rod (long, for gearheads)
Zeeb
Jul 2015
Hotrod
Verse I
Wrenches clanging, knuckles banging
A drop of blood the young man spilt
A new part here, and old part… there
A hotrod had been built!
A patchwork, mechanical, quilt
Feeling good. Head under a raised hood, hands occupied, the job nearing completion. Sometimes the good feelings would dissipate though, as quickly as they came, as he cursed himself for stripping a bolt, or cursed someone else for selling him the wrong part, or the engineer whose design goals obviously did not consider “remove and replace”.
He cursed the “gorilla” that never heard of a torque-wrench, the glowing particle of **** that popped on to the top of his head as he welded, the metal chip he flushed from his eye, and even himself for the burn he received by impatiently touching something too soon after grinding.
He, and his type, cursed a lot, but mostly to their selves as they battled-on with things oily, hot, bolted, welded, and rusty – in cramped spaces. One day it was choice words for an “easy-out” that broke off next to a broken drill bit that had broken off in a broken bolt, that was being drilled for an easy-out.
Despite the swearing, the good and special feelings would always return, generally of a magnitude that exceeded the physical pain and mental frustration of the day, by a large margin.
Certifiably obsessive, the young man continued to toil dutifully, soulfully, occasionally gleefully, sometimes even expertly, in his most loved and familiar place, his sanctuary, laboratory… the family garage.
And tomorrow would be the day.
With hard learned, hard earned expertise and confidence - in this special small place, a supremely happy and excited young man commanded his creation to life.
Threw a toggle, pressed a switch
Woke up the neighbors with that *******
The heart of his machine was a stroked Chevy engine that everyone had just grown sick hearing about. Even the local machine shop to which the boy nervously entrusted his most prized possession had had enough. “Sir, I don’t want to seem disrespectful, but from what I’ve read in Hot Rod Magazine, you might be suggesting a clearance too tight for forged pistons…” then it would be something else the next day.
One must always speak politely to the machinist, and even though he always had, the usual allotment of contradictions and arguments afforded to each customer had long run out – and although the shop owner took a special liking to the boy because, as he liked to say, “he reminds me of me”, well, that man was done too. But in the end, the mill was dead-on. Of course from the start, the shop knew it would be; that’s almost always the case; it’s how they stay in business - simply doing good work. Bad shops fall out quickly, but this place had the look of times gone by. Good times.
Old porcelain signs, here and there were to be found, all original to the shop and revered by the older workers in honored nostalgia. The younger workers get it too; they can tell from the co-workers they respect and learn from, there is something special about this past. One sign advertises Carter Carburetors and the artwork depicts “three deuces”, model 97’s, sitting proudly atop a flathead engine, all speeding along in a red, open roadster. Its occupants, a blond haired boy with slight freckles (driver), and a brunette girl passenger, bright white blouse, full and buttoned low. They are in the wind-blown cool, their excited expressions proclaim… "we have escaped and are free!" (and all you need is a Carter, or three). How uniquely American.
The seasoned old engine block the boy entrusted to the shop cost him $120-even from the boneyard. Not a bad deal for a good high-nickel content block that had never had its first 0.030”overbore. In the shop, it was cleaned, checked for cracks by "magnafluxing", measured and re-measured, inspected and re-inspected. It was shaped and cut in a special way that would allow the stroker crankshaft, that was to be the special part of this build, to have all the clearance it would need. The engine block was fitted with temporary stress plates that mimic the presence of cylinder heads, then the cylinders were bored to “first oversize”, providing fresh metal for new piston rings to work against. New bearings were installed everywhere bearings are required. Parts were smoothed here and there. Some surfaces were roughened just so, to allow new parts to “work-into each other” when things are finally brought together. All of this was done with a level of precision and attention far, far greater than the old “4- bolt” had ever received at the factory on its way to a life of labor in the ¾ ton work van from which it came, and for which it had served so dutifully. They called this painstaking dedication to precision measurement and fit, to hitting all specifications on the mark, “blueprinting”, and it would continue throughout the entire build of this engine. The boy remained worried, but the shop had done it a million times.
After machining, the block was filled with new and strong parts that cost the young man everything he had. Parts selected with the greatest of effort, decision, and debate. You can compromise on paint and live with some rust, he would say, wait for good tires, but never scrimp on the engine. Right on. Someone taught the boy right, regardless of whether or not he fully understood the importance of the words he parroted. His accurate proclamation also provided ample excuse for the rough, unfinished, underfunded look of the rest of his machine. But it was just a look, his car was, in fact, “right”. And its power plant? Well the machine shop had talked their customer into letting them do the final engine assembly - even cut their price to do it. To make that go down easy, they asked to have two of their shop decals affixed to the rod on race-days. The young man thought that was a fair deal, but the shop was really just looking out for the boy, with their herring of sorts.
The mill in its final form was the proper balance of performance and durability; and with its camshaft so carefully selected, the engine's “personality” was perfectly matched to the work at hand. It would produce adequate torque in the low RPM range to get whole rig moving quickly, yet deliver enough horsepower near and at red-line to pile on the MPH, fast. No longer a polite-natured workhorse, this engine, this engine is impatient now. High compression, a rapid, choppy idle - it seems to be biting at the bit to be released. On command, it gulps its mixture and screams angrily, and often those standing around have a reflexive jump - the louder, the better - the more angry, the better. If it hurts your ears, that’s a good feeling. If its bark startles, that’s a good startle. A cacophony? No, the “music” of controlled explosions, capable of thrusting everything and everyone attached, forward, impolitely, on a rapid run to the freedom so well depicted in the ad.
This is the addictive sound and feel that has appealed to a certain type of person since engines replaced horses, and why? A surrogate voice for those who are otherwise quiet? A visceral celebration of accomplishment? Who cares. Shift once, then again - speed quickly makes its appearance. It appears as a loud, rushing wind and a visually striking, unnatural view of the surrounding scenery. At some point, in the sane, it triggers a natural response - better slow down.
He uncorked the headers, bought gasoline, dropped her in gear, tore off to the scene
Camaros and Mustangs, an old ‘55
Obediently lined-up, to get skinned alive!
Verse II (1st person)
I drove past the banner that said “Welcome race fans” took a new route, behind the grandstands
And through my chipped window, I thought I could see
Some of the racers were laughing at me
I guess rust and primer are not to their taste
But I put my bucks mister in the right place
I chugged/popped past cars that dealers had sold
Swung into a spot, next to something old
Emerging with interest from under his hood
My neighbor said two words, he said, “sounds good”
The Nova I parked next to was “classic rodding” in its outward appearance. The much overused “primer paint job”. The hood and front fenders a fiberglass clamshell, pinned affair. Dice hanging from the mirror paid homage to days its driver never knew, but wished he had. He removed them before he drove, always.
If you know how to peel the onion, secrets are revealed. Wilwood brake calipers can be a dead giveaway. Someone needs serious stopping power - maybe. Generally, owners who have sprung the bucks for this type gear let the calipers show off in bright red, to make a statement, and sometimes, these days, it’s just a fashion statement. Expensive calipers, as eye candy, seem to be all the rage. What is true, however, is very few guys spend big money on brakes only to render them inglorious and seemingly common with a shot of silver paint from a rattle can - and the owner of this half fiberglass racer that poses as a street car had done just that. I'll glean two things from this observation. One, he needs those heavy brakes because he’s fast, and two, hiding them fits his style.
Really, the message to be found in the silver paint, so cleverly applied to make your eyes simply slide across on their way to more interesting things, was “sleeper”. And sleeper really means, he’s one of those guys with a score to settle - with everyone perhaps. The list of “real parts” grew, if you knew where to look. Looking was something I had unofficial permission to do since my rod was undergoing a similar scrutiny.
“Stroked?”, I asked. That’s something you can’t see from the outside. “ No”, my racer friend replied.
“Hundred shot?” (If engines have their language, so do the people who love them). Despite the owner’s great efforts to conceal braided fuel and nitrous lines, electrical solenoids and switches, I spied his system. The chunks of aluminum posing as ordinary spacers under his two Holly's were anything but. “No”, was his one-word reply to my 100- shot question. I tried again; “Your nitrous system is cleanly installed, how much are you spraying?” “Two hundred fifty” in two stages, he said. That’s more like it, I thought, and I then figured, he too had budgeted well for the machine shop – if not, he was gambling in a game that if lost, would soon fly parts in all directions. Based on the overall neat work on display, I believed his build was up to the punishment planned.
I knew exactly what this tight-lipped guy was about, seeing someone very familiar in him as it were, and that made the “sounds good” complement I received upon my arrival all the more valuable. I liked my neighbor. And I liked the fact of our scratch-built rods having found each other - and I looked forward to us both dusting off the factory jobs. It was going to be a good day.
The voice on the loudspeaker tells us we’re up.
Pre-staged, staged, then given the green
The line becomes blurred between man and machine
Bones become linkage
Muscle, spring
Fear, excitement
Time distorts ….
Color disappears …
Vision narrows…
Noise --- becomes music
Speed, satisfaction
End
Verse I
Wrenches clanging, knuckles banging
A drop of blood the young man spilt
A new part here, and old part… there
A hotrod had been built!
A patchwork, mechanical, quilt
Feeling good. Head under a raised hood, hands occupied, the job nearing completion. Sometimes the good feelings would dissipate though, as quickly as they came, as he cursed himself for stripping a bolt, or cursed someone else for selling him the wrong part, or the engineer whose design goals obviously did not consider “remove and replace”.
He cursed the “gorilla” that never heard of a torque-wrench, the glowing particle of **** that popped on to the top of his head as he welded, the metal chip he flushed from his eye, and even himself for the burn he received by impatiently touching something too soon after grinding.
He, and his type, cursed a lot, but mostly to their selves as they battled-on with things oily, hot, bolted, welded, and rusty – in cramped spaces. One day it was choice words for an “easy-out” that broke off next to a broken drill bit that had broken off in a broken bolt, that was being drilled for an easy-out.
Despite the swearing, the good and special feelings would always return, generally of a magnitude that exceeded the physical pain and mental frustration of the day, by a large margin.
Certifiably obsessive, the young man continued to toil dutifully, soulfully, occasionally gleefully, sometimes even expertly, in his most loved and familiar place, his sanctuary, laboratory… the family garage.
And tomorrow would be the day.
With hard learned, hard earned expertise and confidence - in this special small place, a supremely happy and excited young man commanded his creation to life.
Threw a toggle, pressed a switch
Woke up the neighbors with that *******
The heart of his machine was a stroked Chevy engine that everyone had just grown sick hearing about. Even the local machine shop to which the boy nervously entrusted his most prized possession had had enough. “Sir, I don’t want to seem disrespectful, but from what I’ve read in Hot Rod Magazine, you might be suggesting a clearance too tight for forged pistons…” then it would be something else the next day.
One must always speak politely to the machinist, and even though he always had, the usual allotment of contradictions and arguments afforded to each customer had long run out – and although the shop owner took a special liking to the boy because, as he liked to say, “he reminds me of me”, well, that man was done too. But in the end, the mill was dead-on. Of course from the start, the shop knew it would be; that’s almost always the case; it’s how they stay in business - simply doing good work. Bad shops fall out quickly, but this place had the look of times gone by. Good times.
Old porcelain signs, here and there were to be found, all original to the shop and revered by the older workers in honored nostalgia. The younger workers get it too; they can tell from the co-workers they respect and learn from, there is something special about this past. One sign advertises Carter Carburetors and the artwork depicts “three deuces”, model 97’s, sitting proudly atop a flathead engine, all speeding along in a red, open roadster. Its occupants, a blond haired boy with slight freckles (driver), and a brunette girl passenger, bright white blouse, full and buttoned low. They are in the wind-blown cool, their excited expressions proclaim… "we have escaped and are free!" (and all you need is a Carter, or three). How uniquely American.
The seasoned old engine block the boy entrusted to the shop cost him $120-even from the boneyard. Not a bad deal for a good high-nickel content block that had never had its first 0.030”overbore. In the shop, it was cleaned, checked for cracks by "magnafluxing", measured and re-measured, inspected and re-inspected. It was shaped and cut in a special way that would allow the stroker crankshaft, that was to be the special part of this build, to have all the clearance it would need. The engine block was fitted with temporary stress plates that mimic the presence of cylinder heads, then the cylinders were bored to “first oversize”, providing fresh metal for new piston rings to work against. New bearings were installed everywhere bearings are required. Parts were smoothed here and there. Some surfaces were roughened just so, to allow new parts to “work-into each other” when things are finally brought together. All of this was done with a level of precision and attention far, far greater than the old “4- bolt” had ever received at the factory on its way to a life of labor in the ¾ ton work van from which it came, and for which it had served so dutifully. They called this painstaking dedication to precision measurement and fit, to hitting all specifications on the mark, “blueprinting”, and it would continue throughout the entire build of this engine. The boy remained worried, but the shop had done it a million times.
After machining, the block was filled with new and strong parts that cost the young man everything he had. Parts selected with the greatest of effort, decision, and debate. You can compromise on paint and live with some rust, he would say, wait for good tires, but never scrimp on the engine. Right on. Someone taught the boy right, regardless of whether or not he fully understood the importance of the words he parroted. His accurate proclamation also provided ample excuse for the rough, unfinished, underfunded look of the rest of his machine. But it was just a look, his car was, in fact, “right”. And its power plant? Well the machine shop had talked their customer into letting them do the final engine assembly - even cut their price to do it. To make that go down easy, they asked to have two of their shop decals affixed to the rod on race-days. The young man thought that was a fair deal, but the shop was really just looking out for the boy, with their herring of sorts.
The mill in its final form was the proper balance of performance and durability; and with its camshaft so carefully selected, the engine's “personality” was perfectly matched to the work at hand. It would produce adequate torque in the low RPM range to get whole rig moving quickly, yet deliver enough horsepower near and at red-line to pile on the MPH, fast. No longer a polite-natured workhorse, this engine, this engine is impatient now. High compression, a rapid, choppy idle - it seems to be biting at the bit to be released. On command, it gulps its mixture and screams angrily, and often those standing around have a reflexive jump - the louder, the better - the more angry, the better. If it hurts your ears, that’s a good feeling. If its bark startles, that’s a good startle. A cacophony? No, the “music” of controlled explosions, capable of thrusting everything and everyone attached, forward, impolitely, on a rapid run to the freedom so well depicted in the ad.
This is the addictive sound and feel that has appealed to a certain type of person since engines replaced horses, and why? A surrogate voice for those who are otherwise quiet? A visceral celebration of accomplishment? Who cares. Shift once, then again - speed quickly makes its appearance. It appears as a loud, rushing wind and a visually striking, unnatural view of the surrounding scenery. At some point, in the sane, it triggers a natural response - better slow down.
He uncorked the headers, bought gasoline, dropped her in gear, tore off to the scene
Camaros and Mustangs, an old ‘55
Obediently lined-up, to get skinned alive!
Verse II (1st person)
I drove past the banner that said “Welcome race fans” took a new route, behind the grandstands
And through my chipped window, I thought I could see
Some of the racers were laughing at me
I guess rust and primer are not to their taste
But I put my bucks mister in the right place
I chugged/popped past cars that dealers had sold
Swung into a spot, next to something old
Emerging with interest from under his hood
My neighbor said two words, he said, “sounds good”
The Nova I parked next to was “classic rodding” in its outward appearance. The much overused “primer paint job”. The hood and front fenders a fiberglass clamshell, pinned affair. Dice hanging from the mirror paid homage to days its driver never knew, but wished he had. He removed them before he drove, always.
If you know how to peel the onion, secrets are revealed. Wilwood brake calipers can be a dead giveaway. Someone needs serious stopping power - maybe. Generally, owners who have sprung the bucks for this type gear let the calipers show off in bright red, to make a statement, and sometimes, these days, it’s just a fashion statement. Expensive calipers, as eye candy, seem to be all the rage. What is true, however, is very few guys spend big money on brakes only to render them inglorious and seemingly common with a shot of silver paint from a rattle can - and the owner of this half fiberglass racer that poses as a street car had done just that. I'll glean two things from this observation. One, he needs those heavy brakes because he’s fast, and two, hiding them fits his style.
Really, the message to be found in the silver paint, so cleverly applied to make your eyes simply slide across on their way to more interesting things, was “sleeper”. And sleeper really means, he’s one of those guys with a score to settle - with everyone perhaps. The list of “real parts” grew, if you knew where to look. Looking was something I had unofficial permission to do since my rod was undergoing a similar scrutiny.
“Stroked?”, I asked. That’s something you can’t see from the outside. “ No”, my racer friend replied.
“Hundred shot?” (If engines have their language, so do the people who love them). Despite the owner’s great efforts to conceal braided fuel and nitrous lines, electrical solenoids and switches, I spied his system. The chunks of aluminum posing as ordinary spacers under his two Holly's were anything but. “No”, was his one-word reply to my 100- shot question. I tried again; “Your nitrous system is cleanly installed, how much are you spraying?” “Two hundred fifty” in two stages, he said. That’s more like it, I thought, and I then figured, he too had budgeted well for the machine shop – if not, he was gambling in a game that if lost, would soon fly parts in all directions. Based on the overall neat work on display, I believed his build was up to the punishment planned.
I knew exactly what this tight-lipped guy was about, seeing someone very familiar in him as it were, and that made the “sounds good” complement I received upon my arrival all the more valuable. I liked my neighbor. And I liked the fact of our scratch-built rods having found each other - and I looked forward to us both dusting off the factory jobs. It was going to be a good day.
The voice on the loudspeaker tells us we’re up.
Pre-staged, staged, then given the green
The line becomes blurred between man and machine
Bones become linkage
Muscle, spring
Fear, excitement
Time distorts ….
Color disappears …
Vision narrows…
Noise --- becomes music
Speed, satisfaction
End
Joseph the Dreamer
Feb 2013
“The Silicon Tower of Babel”
The over utilization of technology, its abuse, is unweaving humanity at the seams. Human health, sanity, and spirituality are under attack. The boom of accessibility over technology has increasingly subtracted from the frequency of face to face human interaction as well as human interaction with nature. The result is a declining emotional and psychological health and a ******* of spiritual values. Each individual who values holistic health should limit the time he or she spends using technology that isolates them to less than twenty-four hours in a week. They should make more purposeful efforts toward interacting with nature daily and for periods of at least an hour at a time. Lastly, these individuals should labor to replace reclusive technologies with modes of technology that encourage face to face and group social interaction such as movies, Skype, etc.
Self-limitation of the use of isolating technology will begin to correct the twisting of our spiritual values and the social and physiological damage that has been caused by the overuse and abuse of technology. In James T. Bradley’s review of Joel Garreau’s book discussion of radical evolution, called “Odysseans of the twenty first century”, Bradley quotes Garreau when he says that technology will result in human transcendence. In “Odysseans” it is said that “The nature of transcendence will depend upon the character of that which is being transcended—that is, human nature.” James. T Bradley, scholar and author of this peer reviewed journal says that “When we’re talking about transhumanism, we’re talking about transcending human nature. . . One notion of transcendence is that you touch the face of God. Another version of transcendence is that you become God.” This is a very blatant ******* of the roles of God and man. When the created believes it can attain the greatness of its creator, and reach excellence and greatness on par with its God, it has completely reversed the essence of spirituality. This results in the ability to justify the “moral evolution of humankind” according to Odysseans. And this “moral evolution” often results in “holy wars”. In “Man in the age of technology” by Umberto Galimberti of Milan, Italy, written for the Journal of Analytical Psychology in 2009, technology is revealed to be “no longer merely a tool for man’s use but the environment in which man undergoes modifications.” Man is no longer using technology. Man is no longer affecting and manipulating technology to subdue our environments. Technology is using, affecting, and manipulating the populace; it is subduing humankind into an altered psychological and spiritual state.
Technology, in a sense, becomes the spirituality or the populace. It replaces nature and the pure, technologically undefiled creation as the medium by which the common man attempts to reach the creator. The common man begins to believe in himself as the effector of his Godliness. Here there is logical disconnect. People come to believe that what they create can connect them to the being that created nature. They put aside nature and forget that it is an extension of the artist that created it. Technology removes man from nature (which would otherwise force an undeniable belief in a creator) and becomes a spiritual bypass. “According to “The Only Way Out Is Through: The Peril of Spiritual Bypass” by Cashwell, Bentley, and Yarborough, in a January 2007 issue of Counseling and Values, a scholarly and peer reviewed psychology journal, “Spiritual bypass occurs when a person attempts to heal psychological wounds at the spiritual level only and avoids the important (albeit often difficult and painful) work at the other levels, including the cognitive, physical, emotional, and interpersonal. When this occurs, spiritual practice is not integrated into the practical realm of the psyche and, as a result, personal development is less sophisticated than the spiritual practice (Welwood, 2000). Although researchers have not yet determined the prevalence of spiritual bypass, it is considered to be a common problem among those pursuing a spiritual path (Cashwell, Myers, & Shurts, 2004; Welwood, 1983). Common problems emerging from spiritual bypass include compulsive goodness, repression of undesirable or painful emotions, spiritual narcissism, extreme external locus of control, spiritual obsession or addiction, blind faith in charismatic leaders, abdication of personal responsibility, and social isolation.” Reverting back to frequent indulgence in nature can begin to remedy these detrimental spiritual, social, and physiological effects. If people as individuals would choose to daily spend at least an hour alone in nature, they would be healthier individuals overall.
Technology is often viewed as social because of its informative qualities, but this is not the case when technologies make the message itself, and not the person behind the message, the focus. To be information oriented is to forsake or inhibit social interaction. Overuse of technology is less of an issue to human health if it is being overused in its truly social forms. Truly social forms of technology such as Skype and movies viewed in public and group settings are beneficial to societal and personal health. According to a peer-reviewed study conducted by John B. Nezlek, the amount and quality of one’s social interactions has a direct relationship to how positively one feels about one’s self. Individual happiness is supported by social activity.
Abuse of technology is a problem because it results in spiritual *******. It points humanity toward believing that it can, by its own power, become like God. Abuse of technology inclines humanity to believe that human thoughts are just as high as the thoughts of God. It is the silicon equivalent of the Tower of Babel. It builds humanity up unto itself to become idols. In extreme cases overuse of technology may lead to such megalomania that some of humanity may come to believe that humanity is God. Technology is a spiritual bypass, a cop-out to dealing with human inability and depravity. The misuse of technology results in emotional and psychological damage. It desensitizes and untethers the mind from the self. It causes identity crises. Corruption of technology from its innately neutral state into something that negatively affects the human race results in hollow social interactions, reclusion, inappropriate social responses, and inability to understand social dynamics efficiently.
It may appear to some that technology cannot be the cause of a large-scale social interrupt because technology is largely social. However, the nature of technology as a whole is primarily two things: It is informational; it is for use of entertainment. Informational technology changes the focus of interaction from the messenger to the message. Entertainment technology is, as a majority, of a reclusive nature.
Readers may be inclined to believe that nature is not foundational to spirituality and has little effect on one’s spiritual journey, it is best to look through history. Religions since the beginning of time have either focused on nature or incorporated nature into their beliefs. Animists believe that everything in nature has a spirit. Native American Indians like the Cherokee believe that nature is to be used but respected. They believe that nature is a gift from the Great Spirit; that earth is the source of life and all life owes respect to the earth. Christians believe that it is the handiwork of God, and a gift, to be subdued and used to support the growth and multiplication, the prosperity and abundance of the human race.
In a society that has lost touch with its natural surroundings it is sure that some believe that nature has little effect on health, as plenty of people live lives surrounded by cities and skyscrapers, never to set foot in a forest or on red clay and claim perfect health. However, even in the states of the least contact possible with nature, nature has an effect on human health. The amount of sunlight one is exposed to is a direct factor in the production of vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency has been determined to be linked to an increased likelihood of contracting heart disease, and is a dominant factor in the onset of clinical depression. Nature has such a drastic effect on human health that the lack of changing season and sunlight can drive individuals to not only depression, but also suicide. This is demonstrated clearly when Alaska residents, who spend half a year at a time with little to no sunlight demonstrate a rate of suicide and clinical depression diagnoses remarkably higher than the national average.
Dependence on technology is engrained in our society, and to some the proposed solution may not seem feasible. They find the idea of so drastically limiting technology use imposing. They do not feel that they can occupy their time instead with a daily hour of indulgence in nature. For these individuals, try limiting isolating technology use to 72 hours a week, and indulging in nature only three times a week for thirty minutes. Feel free to choose reclusive technology over social technologies sometimes, but do not let technology dominate your life. Make conscious efforts to engage in regular social interactions for extended periods of time instead of playing Skyrim or Minecraft. Watch a movie with your family or Skype your friends. Use technology responsibly.
To remedy the effects of the abuse of technology and the isolations of humanity from nature, individuals should limit their reclusive technology use to 24 hours in a week’s time, indulge in nature for an hour daily, and choose to prefer truly social technologies over reclusive technologies as often as possible. In doing so, individuals will foster their own holistic health. They will build and strengthen face-to-face relationships. They will, untwist, reconstruct and rejuvenate their spirituality. They will be less likely to contract emotional or social disorders and will treat those they may already struggle with. So seek your own health and wellbeing. Live long and prosper.
The over utilization of technology, its abuse, is unweaving humanity at the seams. Human health, sanity, and spirituality are under attack. The boom of accessibility over technology has increasingly subtracted from the frequency of face to face human interaction as well as human interaction with nature. The result is a declining emotional and psychological health and a ******* of spiritual values. Each individual who values holistic health should limit the time he or she spends using technology that isolates them to less than twenty-four hours in a week. They should make more purposeful efforts toward interacting with nature daily and for periods of at least an hour at a time. Lastly, these individuals should labor to replace reclusive technologies with modes of technology that encourage face to face and group social interaction such as movies, Skype, etc.
Self-limitation of the use of isolating technology will begin to correct the twisting of our spiritual values and the social and physiological damage that has been caused by the overuse and abuse of technology. In James T. Bradley’s review of Joel Garreau’s book discussion of radical evolution, called “Odysseans of the twenty first century”, Bradley quotes Garreau when he says that technology will result in human transcendence. In “Odysseans” it is said that “The nature of transcendence will depend upon the character of that which is being transcended—that is, human nature.” James. T Bradley, scholar and author of this peer reviewed journal says that “When we’re talking about transhumanism, we’re talking about transcending human nature. . . One notion of transcendence is that you touch the face of God. Another version of transcendence is that you become God.” This is a very blatant ******* of the roles of God and man. When the created believes it can attain the greatness of its creator, and reach excellence and greatness on par with its God, it has completely reversed the essence of spirituality. This results in the ability to justify the “moral evolution of humankind” according to Odysseans. And this “moral evolution” often results in “holy wars”. In “Man in the age of technology” by Umberto Galimberti of Milan, Italy, written for the Journal of Analytical Psychology in 2009, technology is revealed to be “no longer merely a tool for man’s use but the environment in which man undergoes modifications.” Man is no longer using technology. Man is no longer affecting and manipulating technology to subdue our environments. Technology is using, affecting, and manipulating the populace; it is subduing humankind into an altered psychological and spiritual state.
Technology, in a sense, becomes the spirituality or the populace. It replaces nature and the pure, technologically undefiled creation as the medium by which the common man attempts to reach the creator. The common man begins to believe in himself as the effector of his Godliness. Here there is logical disconnect. People come to believe that what they create can connect them to the being that created nature. They put aside nature and forget that it is an extension of the artist that created it. Technology removes man from nature (which would otherwise force an undeniable belief in a creator) and becomes a spiritual bypass. “According to “The Only Way Out Is Through: The Peril of Spiritual Bypass” by Cashwell, Bentley, and Yarborough, in a January 2007 issue of Counseling and Values, a scholarly and peer reviewed psychology journal, “Spiritual bypass occurs when a person attempts to heal psychological wounds at the spiritual level only and avoids the important (albeit often difficult and painful) work at the other levels, including the cognitive, physical, emotional, and interpersonal. When this occurs, spiritual practice is not integrated into the practical realm of the psyche and, as a result, personal development is less sophisticated than the spiritual practice (Welwood, 2000). Although researchers have not yet determined the prevalence of spiritual bypass, it is considered to be a common problem among those pursuing a spiritual path (Cashwell, Myers, & Shurts, 2004; Welwood, 1983). Common problems emerging from spiritual bypass include compulsive goodness, repression of undesirable or painful emotions, spiritual narcissism, extreme external locus of control, spiritual obsession or addiction, blind faith in charismatic leaders, abdication of personal responsibility, and social isolation.” Reverting back to frequent indulgence in nature can begin to remedy these detrimental spiritual, social, and physiological effects. If people as individuals would choose to daily spend at least an hour alone in nature, they would be healthier individuals overall.
Technology is often viewed as social because of its informative qualities, but this is not the case when technologies make the message itself, and not the person behind the message, the focus. To be information oriented is to forsake or inhibit social interaction. Overuse of technology is less of an issue to human health if it is being overused in its truly social forms. Truly social forms of technology such as Skype and movies viewed in public and group settings are beneficial to societal and personal health. According to a peer-reviewed study conducted by John B. Nezlek, the amount and quality of one’s social interactions has a direct relationship to how positively one feels about one’s self. Individual happiness is supported by social activity.
Abuse of technology is a problem because it results in spiritual *******. It points humanity toward believing that it can, by its own power, become like God. Abuse of technology inclines humanity to believe that human thoughts are just as high as the thoughts of God. It is the silicon equivalent of the Tower of Babel. It builds humanity up unto itself to become idols. In extreme cases overuse of technology may lead to such megalomania that some of humanity may come to believe that humanity is God. Technology is a spiritual bypass, a cop-out to dealing with human inability and depravity. The misuse of technology results in emotional and psychological damage. It desensitizes and untethers the mind from the self. It causes identity crises. Corruption of technology from its innately neutral state into something that negatively affects the human race results in hollow social interactions, reclusion, inappropriate social responses, and inability to understand social dynamics efficiently.
It may appear to some that technology cannot be the cause of a large-scale social interrupt because technology is largely social. However, the nature of technology as a whole is primarily two things: It is informational; it is for use of entertainment. Informational technology changes the focus of interaction from the messenger to the message. Entertainment technology is, as a majority, of a reclusive nature.
Readers may be inclined to believe that nature is not foundational to spirituality and has little effect on one’s spiritual journey, it is best to look through history. Religions since the beginning of time have either focused on nature or incorporated nature into their beliefs. Animists believe that everything in nature has a spirit. Native American Indians like the Cherokee believe that nature is to be used but respected. They believe that nature is a gift from the Great Spirit; that earth is the source of life and all life owes respect to the earth. Christians believe that it is the handiwork of God, and a gift, to be subdued and used to support the growth and multiplication, the prosperity and abundance of the human race.
In a society that has lost touch with its natural surroundings it is sure that some believe that nature has little effect on health, as plenty of people live lives surrounded by cities and skyscrapers, never to set foot in a forest or on red clay and claim perfect health. However, even in the states of the least contact possible with nature, nature has an effect on human health. The amount of sunlight one is exposed to is a direct factor in the production of vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency has been determined to be linked to an increased likelihood of contracting heart disease, and is a dominant factor in the onset of clinical depression. Nature has such a drastic effect on human health that the lack of changing season and sunlight can drive individuals to not only depression, but also suicide. This is demonstrated clearly when Alaska residents, who spend half a year at a time with little to no sunlight demonstrate a rate of suicide and clinical depression diagnoses remarkably higher than the national average.
Dependence on technology is engrained in our society, and to some the proposed solution may not seem feasible. They find the idea of so drastically limiting technology use imposing. They do not feel that they can occupy their time instead with a daily hour of indulgence in nature. For these individuals, try limiting isolating technology use to 72 hours a week, and indulging in nature only three times a week for thirty minutes. Feel free to choose reclusive technology over social technologies sometimes, but do not let technology dominate your life. Make conscious efforts to engage in regular social interactions for extended periods of time instead of playing Skyrim or Minecraft. Watch a movie with your family or Skype your friends. Use technology responsibly.
To remedy the effects of the abuse of technology and the isolations of humanity from nature, individuals should limit their reclusive technology use to 24 hours in a week’s time, indulge in nature for an hour daily, and choose to prefer truly social technologies over reclusive technologies as often as possible. In doing so, individuals will foster their own holistic health. They will build and strengthen face-to-face relationships. They will, untwist, reconstruct and rejuvenate their spirituality. They will be less likely to contract emotional or social disorders and will treat those they may already struggle with. So seek your own health and wellbeing. Live long and prosper.