Tonight I passed two cars in a row with video panels anesthetizing the rear seat passengers. It set me thinking about my own travels around town, through the countryside or on trips as a child, then as a parent. This new way is horrid.
Gone is learning about the world around us via direct observation. In its place is a video production of an artificial world that resembles reality enough to replace it.
Having thoughts in your head is not necessarily thinking.
Sharing space with your children while watching television is not parenting.
Listening without analyzing, questioning and discussing is not learning.
Sharing the same opinion is not necessarily coming to the same conclusion.
There is precious little to be optimistic about in a culture that exchanges thought, imagination, creativity and action for a vicarious world produced by a handful of artisans.
Fortunately I am not the only one living in the alternate culture.