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Quiet

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Re: Quiet

#11

Post by trevyn »

torpfactory wrote: post #3
thestepafter wrote: post #2

This article brought on more sadness than I thought it would. As I have grown older and remember times like the one the author described I miss the quiet and peace of an unconnected world. It is a pity that younger generations will never know the this feeling unless it is forced. The freedom of being quiet is sadly lost to the past.

I think that in the future there may be a distinct division between people who have control of their own attention and connectedness and those who don’t. I already see a division between some people I work with - noses buried in their phones all day, and those who tune it out and get real, deep thinking work done.

This. We now have access to two worlds, where before there was one. And it is helpful to be able to choose which world to inhabit at any given moment.

Re: Quiet

#12

Post by yowlingcat »

thestepafter wrote: post #2

This article brought on more sadness than I thought it would. As I have grown older and remember times like the one the author described I miss the quiet and peace of an unconnected world. It is a pity that younger generations will never know the this feeling unless it is forced. The freedom of being quiet is sadly lost to the past.

It's funny, I'm reminded of the Björk song. Being in my childhood home for the holidays makes me very terribly wistful -- I can think of the ways that I passed these times so many years ago, and it doesn't exist except in memory anymore.

But I don't know if the freedom of being quiet is lost to the past. The digital detox is increasingly a thing now; the youthful are attuned to and aware of the manners in which they are marketed to. It's only natural that we begin to see countercurrents, and only natural that humans intentionally disconnect to be one with the world around them.

Re: Quiet

#13

Post by fiatpandas »

kristineberth wrote: post #8
torpfactory wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that in the future there may be a distinct division between people who have control of their own attention and connectedness and those who don’t. I already see a division between some people I work with - noses buried in their phones all day, and those who tune it out and get real, deep thinking work done.

I have a sneaking suspicion that in the not-too-distant future there will be a very significant cultural backlash against all of this noise, all of this hyper-connectedness.

Could you elaborate on your thinking here?

My prediction would be gradually the hyper connectedness becomes the norm while the last generations who remember “quiet” die. Of course there would likely always be small fractions of the population who look to the past and practice mindfulness, almost like how people re-enact the civil war battles. But I would guess largely highly saturated connectedness becomes who we are, in spite of a vocal minority who long for a different way of living.

Re: Quiet

#14

Post by DogestFogey »

A truly masterfully written article that makes us yearn for the days now past when everything, both inside and outside of ourselves, was much quieter.

The amount of noise today is unprecedented. I am reminded of the movie _Her_ in which one sees a world where technology can move into the background and augment human relationships. Granted, there are moments in that film when the tech hurts instead of hinders, but compare that to today's world where everything has the "in your face" mentality.

Re: Quiet

#15

Post by kornish »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #10
chrisco255 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No they're not. If I spend time in quiet contemplation that doesn't mean I'm lonely. Unless it's for an extended period of time with no meaningful connection to another person, it's not loneliness, it's just quiet.

Unless it's for an extended period of time with no meaningful connection to another person Yes, exactly. The internet has been a cure for this, and we're lucky to be around for it. When books were invented, there was an outcry against the idea. "We'll never have to use our memories!" Yet books have generally been seen as a positive thing. Why should the internet end up any different?

There's lots of research to answer the question of why the internet is different than books. For one, books take extended periods of concentration to digest while many applications on the internet are being hyperoptimized to give a constant and frequent dopamine drip.

I'd recommend perusing The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, which suggests that exposure to rapid and substance-less feedback cycles can actually change brain chemistry in undesirable ways. The book is a bit sensationalist, but is nonetheless a good jumping-off point for exploring the perils of internet addiction.

Re: Quiet

#16

Post by mooreds »

DogestFogey wrote: post #14

A truly masterfully written article that makes us yearn for the days now past when everything, both inside and outside of ourselves, was much quieter. The amount of noise today is unprecedented. I am reminded of the movie _Her_ in which one sees a world where technology can move into the background and augment human relationships. Granted, there are moments in that film when the tech hurts instead of hinders, but com…

If you want to read a really scary prescient fiction book in this vein, check out Feed by M.T. Anderson.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_(Anderson_novel)

Just chilling.

Re: Quiet

#17

Post by ahartman00 »

Ah, nostalgia. Its amazing how one can simultaneously forget the downsides, while amplifying the upsides. (Not to take away from the authors fond memories of course)

I was just thinking recently about how great it was to be in high school. Few responsibilities, spent lots of time with friends, homework and work were easy. Of course, then I remember I couldnt live alone, had little money, homework and work seemed hard because I had nothing to compare it to, drama at school, etc. And try meeting up with flaky teenagers without a cell phone :P

Of course, if you find yourself feeling stressed out by the connectedness, by all means take a break. You don't need to check email or be on slack all day. But at the same time, don't get too stressed out thinking we've lost something without gaining anything. You have the option to turn your phone off, you haven't lost anything. But it is now easier than ever to keep in touch, geography is even less relevant.

Obligatory xkcd: "It is, unfortunately, one of the chief characteristics of modern business to always be in a hurry. In olden times it was different. - The Medical Record, 1884"

https://xkcd.com/1227/

Re: Quiet

#18

Post by jmadsen »

A very nice read.

I found it ironic that the corner of the last paragraph was obscured by an "Up Next" pop-open, ready to push me on to the next thing before I'd even had a moment to digest it.

Re: Quiet

#19

Post by derblitzmann »

vitro wrote: post #6

Meditate as much as you can. Being in the present moment lets you notice your thought patterns and impulses that you act on and puts you back in control. Art of letting go. You don't loose anything if you are not on a Facebook for a week. You don't loose anything by leaving your phone home for a day. Water still flows and birds still sing. When was the last time you saw the sun setting or felt the wind in your face,…

I like your comment, but I gotta scratch my grammar Nazi itch. It's lose, not loose, unless you can tighten anything by having Facebook or your phone.

But to add on to what you've said. Meditation is great can help you lose mundane, petty worries and live in the moment, as opposed to the could've beens.

Re: Quiet

#20

Post by throwanem »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #4
thestepafter wrote: post #2

This article brought on more sadness than I thought it would. As I have grown older and remember times like the one the author described I miss the quiet and peace of an unconnected world. It is a pity that younger generations will never know the this feeling unless it is forced. The freedom of being quiet is sadly lost to the past.

Quiet and loneliness are synonymous. We've lost nothing.

Solitude and loneliness appear similar only from the outside. With sufficient experience of both, one learns to recognize the difference.
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