The Death of Subtlety: Thanks Technology

       I have an experiment for you.  Go into the bathroom, turn on the bright lights, the ones over the mirror where you brush your teeth...yup, those are the ones.  Now look into your own eyes, really stare at them, now open your eyelids just a little bit, just enough to make it look like your eyes are trying to free themselves from your sockets. Incredible huh?  Body language is something that we pick up as babies and never stop refining.  Where you once stood looking back at yourself, you see a crazed lunatic.  Try smiling, it only makes it creepier.  You are sending thousands of signals every single day, whether you are intending to or not.  At first this might seem like an inconvenience, but in reality it is the very thing that makes the human experience worth living every single day.  We have a variety to our language that is beautiful, complicated, difficult and ultimately amazing.

       Recently a group of my eighth graders held a forum on progress, specifically focusing on whether technology is indeed benefiting our society.  On the face it seems like a fairly straightforward question, particularly where we arm them with an article on Egypt and how Twitter and Facebook overthrew a corrupt regime.  Of course technology is amazing, and saving countless lives only sweetens that pot.  What do governments fear more than anything?  Technology.  From Egypt recently turning off their internet to the great Golden Shield that China has implemented successfully for years, governments fear that which they can not control.  This is not Orwell's future, nor am I looking out for Big Brother, but governments require stability, and nothing is a more dangerous tool to stability than a limitless platform for anyone's opinion...and I do mean anyone.
       I can continue on to the medical advantages that technology has given us, and the incredible leaps in artificial limbs that has put dreams firmly back in the hands of many individuals.  Finally, seeing how we are in a class for technology let's not forget the progression education has made with the internet and all of the new Web 2.0 tools for the classroom.  Technology is great...on its face.

       Let's re-examine the body language argument.  Try to comfort someone in person, then on the phone, then through Twitter.  Good luck.  Hugging just doesn't translate, no matter how cute emoticons are.  The human experience is based on interaction, and there are entire sciences dedicated to this fact.  I will save you some time Googling so you can just focus on the sheer volume of articles and books based on body language.  What are we missing with constant updates?  Why do I care that you are making waffles?  I worry for the future.  When you find it difficult to call someone and resort to Facebook, it might be time to re-examine your social health.  Leave the Flikr behind and go to the nearby coffee house and people watch.  Hike to take those desktop wallpapers you love so much.  Turn off tech for a day and see what happens, you never know, and the outcome may surprise you.