Story time

Stopping at Half Price Books on the way home from visiting our kids in the Metroplex area, I gave everyone 15-20 minutes of book shopping. This is a typical event for us and we each went different directions searching for books in our interest base. For me that involves a few minutes in the collectible books area, a few minutes in history, a few in mystery, and some time in the fiction section. But my book interests are pretty much on hold these days due to taking a full load of classes as I work toward my Master of Business Administration. With this in mind, I still enjoyed walking around the store seeing book titles, smelling the musty smell, seeing the stacks, and marveling at the creative spirit that sparked all these ideas around me. I just really love books.

As I neared the mystery section I saw a man holding a Vince Flynn book. He turned to his wife who was walking toward him and asked her if she had read that particular book. I am not a big Vince Flynn fan, finding his books unnecessarily violent and a little weak in characterization, but I was curious about her answer to his question. She continued walking toward him while holding hands with her 3 year old daughter who was dressed in a pretty little blue dress. The daughter walked along and although unable to see the books higher than her little head, she obviously knew she was surrounded by books. She said to her mother, in a small, sweet voice, "Is this story time?" Her mother said, "It does look like story time doesn't it?" The lady then told her husband that she had read that Vince Flynn book and did not care for it that much. Later I saw the lady with the little girl in the children's section about to read her a story.

Oh, do I remember story time! Mom and Dad would read me a story at home which I loved (I think Dad actually embellished many of the stories written and turned them into his own creations!), but they would also take me down to the local library for story time. At a young age, I learned to love story time and love the musty smell of books. I also learned to respect the creative spirit that sparked all the knowledge and joy around me. My brother, who became a writer, and I have loved books all our lives and in turn instilled the same love of stories and books to our children.

As I walked through the Half Price Books and thought about Story Time, I found myself thankful for the countless stories that exist in books and for the blessing of imagination and creativity. And thankful for parents who taught me the value of great stories, stories that still have meaning today and stories that have stayed with me forever. I have passed these same stories to my children who will likely pass them on to their children along with a love for books. So I want to say to the little girl who asked if it were story time--"Yes, it is ALWAYS story time!"

The Peace Party--Technology in the Future

          A study of the current economic situation will inevitably include the opinion of economists who dogmatically offer their expertise in predicting the future, forecasting either growth in a robust bull market economy or a recessionary bust where the bears win the ultimate economic battle. The result of such forecasting, of which approximately half the economists will be wrong, is to negate the purpose of prophetic, often pitiful, pandering by the so-called experts in the field. This does not, however, slow down the predictions nor should it, for to predict the future is to own it and then to make preparations for what will come. Erroneous though economists may sometimes be, there is wisdom and gain in analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, and in making conclusions regarding the future of the economy. Yet, in spite of all scientific efforts, it is very difficult to predict human behavior and human responses to economic situations. Such is true of technology. 

When we think we have reached our technological potential, along comes 3-D printing, LEAP Motion, implanted human computers, germ identification through smartphones, thought manipulation, cloning, genetic engineering and modifications, nanotechnologies, and many others that seem to show up nearly every day. In the area of social media, email is old news; Facebook is current but ironically questioned; phone calls are disappearing; texting and voice texts are current; books, journals, and newspapers are antiquated; libraries have become coffee shops, cafes, and mass communication centers. Computers are smaller, more efficient, and more intuitive to human needs than any previous time, and the cloud is providing most of the storage of information without the old burden of hard drives, discs, or physical storage.

According to Bill Joy the technological advances in genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics are just a few steps away from eradicating the need for humans in the world. He fears that we have advanced so far that technology now owns us and threatens our very existence.[1] Other writers such as Emmanuel Mesthene see a greater purpose for technology as serving human existence and improving upon it provided we are able to adjust to the changing world.[2] The classic piece by Robert L. Heilbroner called Do Machines Make History takes a historical and socially active approach to technology by pointing out how society and technology work together in history through sequential advances.[3] Some see technology as the greatest element for saving the world while others see it as a permanent detriment to all that is right and good. The truth, like most truth, probably lies in the middle of such extreme views.

When the printing press first came into use in approximately 1450, there was likely great fear of the dramatic change and such is true for all new inventions and often new ideas. Despite the human desire to progress and to innovate, we are also programmed to fear change and to prefer the same old system. We love and respect the heritage and traditions of the past but we also recognize the benefits of dreams, of innovation, of putting into reality those imaginations that sparkle from human creativity. Technology is both liberating and constricting. It provides us with great freedom by minimizing distances and providing open access to knowledge, and it improves the quality of life by providing greater safety in transportation, improved medical diagnoses and treatments, improved efficiency in record keeping, protection of information, and sources of entertainment. Brown and Duguid see technology as complementary of human culture, not replacing it.[4]

There is no area of our modern life that is not touched by technology in a number of ways. Our clothes, food, homes, churches, families, and our professions have all been either directly or indirectly created using some kind of technological advancement. But in all matters inherently good, there is potential for evil due to mankind’s ability to corrupt that which is good. While it is not within the scope of this essay to discuss our fallen world and the problems of how a lack of moral fiber may be slowly eroding our culture (a debatable concept when seen through the lens of time and history), it is wise to be aware of the potential issues surrounding irresponsible use of technology.

When we begin talking about technology’s function in society and subsequently mention the need for increased responsibility, we are addressing not simply how technology is used but also its higher purpose. Most definitions of technology see it as “scientific knowledge for practical purposes”[5] or some sort of variation of this idea, making technology a tool or an idea to be used for a practical purpose. The implied antithesis of this idea is that technology is an end in and of itself, serving no purpose whatsoever other than to exist in its own framework. Since a tool made by a human ought to serve a practical purpose, it makes logical sense that technology serves society rather than society serving technology. Comfortable with this idea and certainly recognizing technology’s role in the world, I also see it as serving an additional purpose beyond that of a functioning tool. Perhaps there is a role for technology in serving the emotional and artistic needs.

Artisans have had an uphill battle for respect going all the way back to Plato who although loved art also saw it as a little dangerous to objective thinking. He did not include artists in his “city” due to being suspicious of the emotions that art tends to cause in people. Not wanting to discard emotions completely, he nevertheless reasoned that emotions should have a lower place in the ideal social makeup. We continue to struggle with this today as we try to understand the functional role of art in our practical world. If indeed art serves no purpose other than some kind of aesthetic, emotional need, then by syllogism relationship, technology has no connection to art or emotions. If technology is scientific knowledge for practical purposes and art has no practical purpose, then it stands to reason that technology and art are polar opposites in their makeup, design, and intent. One serves society and the other may hurt it!

Yet further examination of art versus technology begins to unravel the idea that technology only serves a functional purpose, particularly in light of the ubiquity of technology in our society. The vast emotional experiences of technology further support the idea that technology serves society’s need for emotional stability, subjectivism, and aesthetic understanding. This lifts technology to a greater role in culture, nearly ascribing it character traits beyond that of merely being a tool, and, subsequently, making us a little nervous. The more we empower technology, particularly as it relates to our emotional well-being in society, the more we resist the impulse to allow it to determine our own emotional responses. We then exist in a healthy and responsible tension of using technology to our advantage in a multitude of ways that improves virtually every area of life but not allowing it to govern all aspects. In spite of technology’s pervasiveness in our lives, we will always withhold a little humanness, or to put it another way, we will use those qualities that make us human in ways that require technology to serve our needs.

But before pontificating excessively about technology, let us return to the idea of the role of the arts in our world. If Plato were correct, then it is true that emotions are mostly necessary and art has a valuable but limited role in society particularly when compared with sciences or mathematics. This manifests in today’s university curriculum and salary structures across the country. The idea of function is decidedly different from aesthetics and emotions, and we seem to value function over aesthetics in most situations. As I sit in this chair, it serves a functional and necessary purpose. I am not interested in its aesthetic qualities and although slightly joyful at sitting in a comfortable chair, I am not expending great emotional energy studying my feelings regarding this functional item below me. However, if I choose to display this chair on a wall thereby limiting or even extinguishing its functional purpose as a chair, then I have created a work of art. It may or may not be a quality aesthetic emotional experience for the viewer but, nevertheless, since it no longer functions as a chair, it has become a work of art. If the chair is now a work of art, then do I need to question its existence as valuable? Or perhaps my creation of the work of art, primitive though it may be, serves an aesthetic need not easily defined in functional terms. Is it possible, then, that Plato was not entirely correct in his assessment of the role of emotions in society? If, in fact, emotions do play a more valuable role than previously thought, then it would be advantageous to examine technology in broader terms than its functional goals.

Are there times when technology does not serve a functional purpose for society? Or, to take it another step, can we use technology to enhance our own need for great aesthetic purposes? Can technology actually provide a high level of emotional release and, ultimately, stability for us? The answers to all these questions are affirmative. While there is no question that technology is “scientific knowledge for practical purpose” and that its role is to be a functional tool that benefits both the individual and the collective whole, I contend that technology also serves a dual purpose of providing emotional stability and aesthetics in our culture. Music, art, drama, literature, and all forms of entertainment continue to benefit and develop from technology, and people continue to fill their need for aesthetics through technology. While few natural joys are greater than hearing the birds in the trees and feeling a gentle breeze in the calm peace of the outdoors, we also find satisfaction in turning on a computer and listening to our favorite rock song on Youtube or connecting with an old friend on Facebook or attending a movie or playing a game on the computer, and the list of pleasurable experiences through technology is vast.

Nearly every day we hear about a new technology to enhance artistic experiences or a new machine to help us with an emotional issue. When viewed collectively and globally, technology is ultimately about emotional security, well-being and happiness. Its potential for good and for evil is tremendous and those who use it to perpetrate violence on other humans are to be scorned as anathema in a world where they do not belong. Those uses of technology have no place in society and need to be defenestrated as we seek a world that is violence-free and peaceful for all.

Using technology to advance the human experience both artistically and functionally is to take our creative imagination, our innovative spirit, our God-given intelligence and amalgamate these attributes with technology and change the world. It is the event of human beings interacting with technology through congruent and complementary activities that gives technology its purpose.  Human beings do not always clearly define an action or a behavior but that does not negate the action itself. Technology may be articulated by most people as “scientific knowledge for a practical purpose” but the real truth lies in its application. If we give lip service to technology’s role in serving a practical purpose but, in fact, use technology for an aesthetic and emotional purpose as well, then it is time to redefine it.

The Tucker definition of technology: Technology is scientific knowledge to advance the human experience. This definition is a broadening of the role of technology and gives a greater understanding of what it means to be human, replete with practical and emotional needs. I believe that recent developments in technology are expressions of the refinement of our culture not only in the United States but throughout the world. Yes, there are bumps, obstacles, landmines, and, sadly, nuclear weapons. Yes, there are those wanting to destroy the essence of the human experience through genetic engineering and nanotechnology. Antithetically, there are others who seek to reduce or destroy our technological dependence by returning to the fundamental ideas of our heritage and our culture. Unfortunately, neither of these views is productive and only contributes to the suspicion of technology in today’s world. The preferred view is a balanced one of using technology to advance the human experience.

Most would say that presenting a Utopian and functionally absurd vision for the technological future is to create intellectual and emotional rubbish. But I do wish, regardless of the inevitable criticism, to state my vision. We may be a few hundred years from this idea philosophically, but technologically we are not far from connecting to every person in the world in an instant. I believe that most people desire peace and desire to live their lives without fear of violence. I dream of a time when the world’s population of nearly 7 billion people look at each other across a virtual room and lay down all weapons forever, and I dream of a world of peace, of absolute congruence, and a world where everyone truly has an equal opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The day this happens, I propose the grandest party in history. It will be a party of joy and a party of peace and an acknowledgement that we used technology for good and to change the world forever.

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[1] Joy, Bill. Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us, 2001.

[2] Mesthene, Emmanuel. Some General Implications of the Research of the Harvard University Program on Technology and Society, 1967-68.

[3] Heilbroner, Robert L. Do Machines Make History, 1967.

[4] Brown, John Seely and Paul Duguid. A Response to Bill Joy and the Doom-and-Gloom Technofuturists, 2000.

[5] http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/technology, accessed 3/13/2013.

The Power of Imagination

Having always struggled a bit with staying focused on one task and wondering if  my excessive imagination really had a place in the world, it was with great relief that many years ago a well-respected composer once encouraged me to use my imagination to envision new music. He said it was the dreamers who made the most difference in the world.

I am not always sure, however, that he was right. It seems as though we live in a concrete world where our daily lives are simply steps toward fulfilling the objective that is presented. We go about our lives doing the necessary things to meet our basic needs including food, clothing, shelter, companionship, and meeting our calling in some kind of profession. For a student, it is a matter of following the regime of school including classes, studying, and extracurricular activities. For an adult, we tend to live in a type of survival mode of taking care of the business of life from auto insurance, to taxes, to medical needs, meals, families, homes, paying bills, putting fuel in the car, using a smartphone and a computer, answering correspondence, fixing the garage door, painting the porch, watering the plants, and the list of chores continues ad nauseum.

But few if any of these activities require great imagination and, in fact, may be detrimental to creativity and to dreaming. The more we deal with the mundane, the more it becomes the norm, thereby eroding our creativity and our imagination for a different kind of existence. Not unlike the characters in Plato's Cave, who accepted the shadows as the reality and were unable to associate the shadows with real people, we are in danger of living in a world of specificity and pragmatism. As a musician, the more I dedicate myself to the precision of the music in order to be a performer of the highest order, the less creative I become. We tend to sacrifice our human subjective emotional dreams in order to accomplish those tasks requiring less imagination. I, furthermore, have to wonder if our entire educational system is a massive corrosion and eradication of creativity and imagination. Education is about the essentials, the necessities, and, perhaps, that is right and good. Maybe we should be about teaching the necessities and minimizing the non-essentials.

After all, we are about the business of life, teaching life skills, health, cognition, problem solving, respect, contributing to society, honesty, scholarship, communication, and many other things that are essential. But I am not talking about the essential, I am talking about using the imagination. I am advocating using creativity, to dream, to alter the current reality, to go beyond the concrete and enter the abstract. We are to become agents of our imaginations and seek after those ideas that are not easily obtained and to enter the realm of beauty of abstracts and the subjective.

Obviously there is a balance we need to achieve in education and in life as we go about the daily business of living. But in our efforts to survive and to help others meet the essential needs of life, let us not forget the power of imagination in reshaping our world and redefining what it means to live a life of joy and beauty.

The Pillow and Old Friends

It was an intense trip to El Paso and one with a mixture of emotions as we buried my mother's only sister. I was glad she was no longer suffering but I will miss her fun personality. She had been an important part of my life and although we were not regularly in contact, the connection was strong going back to my growing up years. Her battle with cancer was difficult and the family dynamics were complicated, but it was still great spending time with my cousin Alan and his lovely wife Shirley. We had a grand time talking about the old days and dealing with some related family business. Most of my brief trip was spent driving, flying, or eating and I left early on Sunday morning to return home (via a couple of hours at the Styx concert, but that is another story!).

When I got on the Boeing for the flight to DFW airport, in my seat was a pretty blue pillow, the type people use on planes to support their necks during trips. Assuming someone on a previous flight had left it there, I asked the person beside me if it belonged to him. He said no, so I placed it under the seat in front of me with my computer case.

As we taxied down the runway for the flight and I felt my eyelids get heavy, I glanced at the little blue pillow at my feet. Ignoring the warning bells going off in my head about potential lice or unknown germs from past usage, I picked it up and put it behind my neck. It felt comfortable and I gave brief thought to buying one or taking it with me when we landed. As we were about to liftoff, I looked over to my right, across the aisle, and saw an older lady staring at me. Curious as to her reasoning--maybe I looked odd or something--but not enough to ask, I nodded slightly and promptly went to sleep. My nap time was full of dreams of flying and of people staring at me, mixed with the earlier thoughts of family and the list of all my goals to accomplish in the next few days.

Upon waking up approximately 40 minutes later, I remembered the staring lady and again glanced to my right. This time the stare was palpable and obviously full of derision. My curiosity was quickly replaced with apprehension, and I decided to read a book and ignore the frightful stare and laser eyes that seemed to bore into me. I removed the pillow and placed it back at my feet. I then heard a gruff voice say, "Excuse me." I looked over at the lady, dreading whatever vitriol would come out of her mouth. She rather forcefully said, "Are you through using my pillow?" At a momentary loss for words, I somehow stammered out, "This is your pillow?" She said it was and I handed it to her with apologies and explained it was resting in my seat when I arrived. She said nothing further and the flight continued with no more evil stares. I supposed she had placed it there as she was getting settled in her seat when I arrived to get settled in mine. Whatever the case, she obviously thought I was trying to steal her pillow.

I found myself laughing over the incident and my own impudence at assuming I could use the pillow. I also thought about her thoughts as she watched me sleeping comfortably on her own pillow. It was all rather funny in a way, but I do hope never to see the lady again!

As I sat in the airport waiting for the next flight and hoping not to see the frightening lady again, I saw a former Stanton student walk by with her two cute children. She is now a financial analyst and seemed very happy. It was great to see her and always a joy to meet up with former students. She was an All-State horn player from many years ago. One of these days, I will try to list all the former horn students who made the All-State band. Great list of people!