Monday, 05 March 2012

• On My Way

  
  (Found this cute photo from: http://e-nidhi.com/wordpress/tag/muni-train/)

  I got off from work, and as usual, I plugged in my earphones to myiPhone, put in the ear buds, and walked out of the office to catch the MUNI train.

  I first developed this habit of listening to podcasts a few monthsafter I moved to San Francisco. At first, it was because I had just discoveredpodcasts - This American Life, Snap Judgment, Stuff You Should Know...and soon. I love hearing about personal stories and science stuff. As time went on,it became a routine, an automated response whenever I get on public transit bymyself. I enjoyed the voices of Ira, storytellers on Snap, and the nerdy banterbetween Chuck and Josh on SYSK. They were whom I commuted with every day, toand from work. A few days after I started listening to podcasts, I found mycommute much more enjoyable. I don't know what it was that made the difference-maybe because I didn't need to hear those two chatty girls next to me talkingabout things without any substance; or perhaps because I wouldn't be worriedabout someone sitting next to me trying to make small talk; or maybe I justdon't enjoy sitting idle on a train for almost 30 minutes.

  One day, on my way to the train station, I noticed the weather wasa huge contrast to the mild morning - not only was it drafty, it was about 20degrees colder. My light jacket just isn't warm enough for a night like this. Idecided to catch the T instead of the N, and transfer once I got to the Embarcaderostop so I could warm up inside the comfort of an artificially heated station.

  I got onto the crowded T train, still shivering, and I found aplace to sit before people behind me took the space.

  This day was pretty unusual for me, because I rarely carryanything in my hand while I take the train. Aside from the fact that it iscumbersome, I also find it quite inconvenient to carry something large whiletrying to wade through the train when it is stuffed with people. I was carryinga Woot purchase today, a huge cutting board. I thought about replacing the oneGiuseppe has been using that is starting to have little black spots appearingon one side. Since my hands weren't free, I could not get into my usual routineand start playing games on the phone to help me block out the world - so Istarted looking around.

  In 3 years, the scene has changed so much.iPods/iPhones/iPad/Kindle/smart phones are everywhere. About 1/4 of the peopleare reading something or playing a game on their devices, the other 3/4 hadsomething plugged into their ears with their eyes fixed on the ground. Thetrain was very quiet. Though I am guilty of participating in this behavioralmost daily, I have never felt so lonely on the train. No one engages in eyecontact.

  For you kids out there who have never lived without one of thesedevices: things were very different 5 years ago. Before all that technology,people sort of interacted with each other while they took public transit.Strangers struck up conversation, people used words to ask people to move outof their way when they need to get off the train, and some people even talkedto the conductor. Nowadays, people are silent all the time, they avoid talkingto each other, and even go as far as avoiding eye contact. Somehow eye contacthas been added to the unspoken social etiquette of personal space. No one askspeople politely to move out of the way anymore; people usually nudge each otherlike we are a society of blind subterranean moles that aren't really aware ofeach other until we bump into them. Now before y’all think I am some old manwith stretch pants pulled all the way up to my chest, I want to let you knowthat I didn't say those were the good ol’ days - I just said it was different.I have no personal preference, one way or the other.

  Istarted to see vacuum spaces. My vision is fine, but my brain decided that daythat those people who are so self absorbed with their little glowing screensare vacant, and those with electrical devices plugged into their ears, likemyself, are drifting in and out of reality. I really started wondering iftechnology has anything to do with people living in the city feeling lonelier

  With that, I leave you with my favorite Perspective poem from KQED, The Screen:
  

  http://www.kqed.org/a/perspectives/R201111300735

  By Les Bloch

  We are born into light. We lay in our cribs, drawn to the window on the wall, the candle flame dancing on the mantle. It is within our nature to see and learn from this process, gathering the information illuminated by the sun, by the consumption of carbon and oxygen, by electrified tungsten and plasma.

  So here's how far we've come, living in the Age of the Screen. We have access to hand-held devices that delight the eyes, touch panels and flat panels and book panels accompanying us in every waking hour. Families are forever plugged into the grid, the flicker of the flame replaced by pixels more colorful, more comforting, more real than real. We are never alone.

  This is our flat, bright friend, even as our flesh and blood brothers and sisters sit beside us, each set of eyes shining with the glow, illuminated by the blue light as flat as the world once was. We can see past the Screen. We can see out into the world, but the Screen wants us, wants our eyes to return. This was survival before. This was the fire in the distance. This was the way out of the cave. This was the most precious metal. This was the flower that bore the heartiest fruit. We need to look. We need to see what is shining, what is coming. The light is what has always saved us. It has saved us before.

  The Screen will not go away. The Screen will be in our lives. The Screen will be our lives. We cannot live without the Screen now. The Screen will not let us go. The Screen will tell us where to go. The Screen will park our car. The Screen will find us food. The Screen will love us when no one else will. The Screen will listen to what we say. The Screen will lean in and kiss us if we can just wait.

  We have to wait.

  Why is it so hard to look away? What does the Screen want? How does the Screen know that this is exactly what we want and now we can have it?

  We will always have the Screen now. We will always have the Screen.
  

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