Author: andelu2

With the development of technology, it has quickly grown harder and harder to refuse the temptations of products that can distract us from our human experience. Every December I am excited to see my Spotify Wrapped, which tells me how many minutes out of the year I have been trying to tune out the outside world. The past few years, I have listened to music for more than 100,000 minutes out of the year, which is equivalent to 70 days. While I love listening to music, I can’t help but wonder how many conversations or thoughts I could be having without headphones in my ears. I remember vividly listening to music during most high school and middle school classes. Globally, average time spent a week listening to music rose by nearly 10% to 21 hours a week (Yahoo). Music is often enjoyed more at lower lengths of listening, the absence of sound is just as important to the listening experience as the music is itself.

While it is hard to argue that listening to music is “bad”, it is easy to recognize how technology, more specifically, our smartphones have had a detrimental effect on our sense of community. Just walking around campus, half of the people walking around are staring at their phones. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who’s on their phone and you ask them a question and they never respond? It is infuriating. This behavior is normalized in today’s society and is likely a byproduct from the Covid lockdown and simply years being dependent on phones.

The Japanese term yutori is “a state with sufficiency and ease” and many Japanese citizens practice yutori by practicing efficient time management to ensure they will have time to show up early to wherever they are going. Once they get there, they simply grow accustomed to their surroundings and feel a deeper connection to the setting. While the average person spends 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone, the Japanese spend less than half of this number. This is one thing that is lost in younger generations’ culture. Everyone is constantly stimulated by different forms of technology and this makes me wonder exactly what both the negative effects could be and what we could be missing. (Yamashita) (Exploding topics)

General awareness and lack of stimulation tie in directly with sustainability solutions. A large driver of consumption is convenience and not having to think twice before discarding an item. A lack of awareness also contributes to a disconnection to the natural world: not only the appreciation of beautiful landscapes but also the everyday rhythms of nature like the sun setting, birds singing, or the wind blowing. These things can appear unimportant to the human experience but so much is lost in constantly hindering your senses.

Getting caught up in technology allows us to forget the basic human experience and that all we truly need is food, water, and shelter. A minimalistic approach should always be taken when possible to discourage waste and tie in a deep passion for sustainability and environmental issues. In a world where we are inventing VR masks to deprive of us all of our natural senses, we must remember what it means to truly be a human living in the world.

Sources:

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/time-spent-listening-music-continues-000100578.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMI3_n30mHtAFigdvTyr4iRybs92AXNVLHzUQbIYgEWJFn1lp3LBJIN1Taui53-q7dC5f-bkadyb9aWXaVpwmaXP1lrgvzsYQC19Pqm-bwPaUspmCkffj2kknclPtrH8_3Nyv_eJl0LMonj7OhrfUinfY8cmabNj9mdvLO6JrIjA

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1468-5884.00180#:~:text=Accord%2D%20ing%20to%20the%20Japanese,such%20as%20finance%20and%20time.

https://explodingtopics.com/blog/smartphone-usage-stats

Esteemed adventurer and hero Chris McCandless wandered into the unforgiving wilderness of Alaska in April of 1992. Ditching all of his personal items and previous life, McCandless died of starvation in August of 1992. His legacy is frequently debated. Some believe him to be an idol: a brave soul who left society behind to find himself. Others believe him to be a fool: an idealistic, naïve man who underestimated the Alaskan wilderness.

My interpretation of Chris is defined by his conclusions of living off the land. Before his death, McCandless wrote “happiness is only real when shared.” (Azevado 2018) After removing himself from society, living off the land, and rejecting help from anyone else, his main take away was that what he was doing was not the answer to his troubled mind. In a day and age where the current generation is constantly being reminded of how troubled our future will be, these words stuck with me.

First picture shows difference of 18 years in arctic ice (ABC News), second picture shows the difference of 63 years in Alaska (NASA). 

The American Psychology Association (APA) defines eco-anxiety as “the chronic fear of environmental cataclysm that comes from observing the seemingly irrevocable impact of climate change and the associated concern for one’s future and that of next generations.” (APA 2023) My generation is far too familiar with political inactivity, systemic discrimination, and constant environmental degradation. The ignorance of the general public in the face of climate change can be so overwhelming that Chris McCandless’ philosophy of isolation seems enticing.

Although McCandless’ abandonment of civilization was not in light of climate change, it was in light of his resentment of society and the materialistic values of a capitalistic system. Now applying Chris McCandless’ findings to the modern-day context of navigating a world that seems hopeless, we reach the conclusion that the answer is not a hut in the woods. The philosophy of isolationism in this case is selfish and cowardly and the only reason McCandless pursued this life was because—maybe only deep down—he had no intention of returning from the wilderness. What if McCandless lived a life of philanthropy and social connection rather than giving up completely? Would helping and connecting with others not spark introspection and acceptance? 

The only way through the problems we will inevitably face, is to tackle them together. After all, humans are, and always have been, social creatures. We must find a way to be less critical and egocentric, and more compassionate and empathetic to those who live their life in constant struggle.

Personally, as an SUS major, my eco-anxiety is lessened by the knowledge that I will always try my best as an individual to address these daunting and seemingly impossible tasks. One in my position must be able to reimagine and question every aspect of our modern-day life. This kind of positive thinking requires a certain fairy-tale, picturesque imagination that can see past the rigid societal structures to envision a world in which children will not have to have to walk miles for drinkable water, violent storms will not shake the foundations of homes, and coastal cities will not be washed away by destructive flooding.

The eco-cabins serve as a bridge between everyday people and habits that must be adopted to create a sustainable future. It has served as a symbol to the Furman community that we acknowledge the lasting effects of climate change and that we will commit ourselves to do everything we can to create a different life in the future. Most importantly, we do it together, as a community, rather than trying to conquer society’s biggest problems solo. 

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