We are on our way south. Not for the winter, though in Finland, that is never far away. Nor far south, just a few hours by train to Helsinki.
I don't know why, but it always feels like we have to take tok much stiff with us wherever we go. We still carry some food for Smallsteps, but considering this is an overnight trip only, we have a full suitcase between the three of us. Granted, my CPAP machine is in there too, and that take a bit if space - but if I don't take it with, I am the only one who will get any sleep tonight.
Rather than drive and park in the city, we took the cheaper (and more exciting) option of the bus and train. The buses in Finland are pretty good, clean, and on time. As are the trains, though the prices are going up significantly. If they really didn't want people to drive, they'd lower them considerably, as other than parking in Helsinki, it would have been cheaper in fuel to drive, and fuel is expensive here.
Booking things is easy too, as there are decent apps for everything. Though this time, I forgot to choose the seats on the train, so we aren't sitting all together, I am one row back. But, at least we are facing the direction I which we are going, because my wife gets motion sickness easily.
This is weird.
I don't remember the last time I was without a PC or a laptop for more than a few hours, but I left it at home this time. This means I am writing on my phone which sucks arse hard. My fingers are just no longer meant for it and it takes ages now. Still, it will hopefully be refreshing to have some time away.
And on that note, I struggle to comment well from the phone, as it is hard to grasp all the points, quote and review longer comments. So, I might have to comment short and then come back to them once back at a larger screen and keyboard.
Also, my writing style changes on the phone too, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as I get to explore a different side.
Speaking of...
Smallsteps' birthday is coming up and as she is starting school, we have bought her first phone.
Her grandparents saw her playing on her cousin's phone yesterday, called us and suggested they buy her a phone because of the games, but we have already rules that out. Instead, her first phone will be a watch, that has no games on it, but makes calls to verified numbers and can take photos. It also has a GPS tracker in it, so we can see where she is.
Smallsteps has largely been raised in an analogue world, which means she is not going to be a "digital native", it will be a second language. This is something I am glad about, as the children I know who are raised on screens, tend to be users, not creators. There is a massive difference in their abilities and we see it across her peer group.
However, there are a few children with parents who think more like us, and hopefully Smallsteps will keep connecting with those kids, as they are active, thoughtful, clever and more curious to find out how things work, not just take for grated that they work. They also tend to be a bit more patient, and better mannered, which I assume is because the parents spend more time with them.
At the moment on the train, Smallsteps is writing about our trip in her diary. Her "diary" is spread across several notebooks and scraps of paper, but she likes writing at least.
Children are meant to be explorative in their behavior, as that helps them not only learn about their world, but practice applying their knowledge and getting feedback on their actions. Too may people think that knowing is enough, but without practical application, it is just information and the internet is filled with it and has it available at our fingertips at all times.
Process is something that needs to be learned and improved through failure and thoughtful iteration. For instance, getting fit for a particular sport that requires particular skills, can't be learned from a book. The muscles need to train, stretch, feel pain. And the brain is no different - learning is uncomfortable mentally, but it also has physical implications that drive the development further. Watching people train could demonstrate technique and maybe even motivate, but it does nothing to grow physically.
For as long as possible, I am going to attempt to keep Smallsteps off of screens and away from mindless consumption. At times she can explore that a little too, like occasionally on her cousin's phone, but it isn't going to be her default activity. Instead, I want her to focus on developing her processes for understanding and parsing information she gathers, and how it relates to her activities, or aids her development.
Sounds crazy?
Perhaps.
But I am working under the assumption that human qualities will be valuable in the future, because if they are not, humanity is lost. You can't learn to be Huma from a screen, but if interpersonal interaction is driven by digital life, it is going to get clunky and robotic.
It is also going to get increasingly homogenous, as creation is driven by demand and the more similar demand becomes, the narrower supply becomes. And, this is driven by the desire for profit too, so the emphasis for advertising and media is to narrow the supply coats and maximize income. This creates economies of scale with market differentiation based on increasingly small variations, rather than disruptive innovations.
Creativity isn't born from information consumption, it comes through application. If people aren't applying what they know in areas where failure is possible, they will not meet the requirements for innovation. And the more people consume, the leas they apply and, the leas they think.
It can be hard to see at the moment though, because we are able to see the entire world at one time for the first time in history, which cherrypicks the view. It gives the impression that we are more creative, but if we look locally, the pool has shrunken down rapidly.
Perhaps this is just the way culture is going and maybe there is no stopping it. But, I don't think it is in our best interest to push that way, as I don't think the life of a consumer is one that experiences value. It is a repression of our humanity, not an expansion of it.
But, once an individual's train is heading in that direction, there are only so many stops yo get off and change course, before the destination becomes inevitable.
Are we on the right train?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
