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shawn time 12.41.27..08.31.06
ironically, more on blogging....and life
I have sometimes missed out on an experience because I was too busy trying to document the experience....e.g. concerts. I have stopped taking cameras to concerts because I can easily become too distracted by trying to get some good shots of the show rather than actually enjoying the show. I later realize that I got some good shots (and they usually aren't THAT good), but I don't remember the enjoyment or the experience of the music or musicians.
While in London, I did the same thing. I stopped taking my camera with me, because I did not want to miss seeing and listening and experiencing being in another country and culture because I was too busy clicking shots of the places and people I was with. So, I got less pictures and video than usual, but I have vivid memories and experiences. Of course there is a balance. It is just too easy to get out of balance. Its stinky when you look back at the pictures of an event and you remember taking the picture more than enjoying the experience. Or worse, you have no mental or emotional recollection of the event, and your pictures are your ONLY memory of it.
There is a good chance these blogs will be around for a while, something our children will read. A digital scrapbook of our lives.
Yikes.
This is a unique day in age when our children will have such access to who their parents were as young(er) people. The future generations will have a crazy ability to know who and what their parents, grandparents, etc. were thinking through at various points in life.
At some point in your life, your child may not ask you about what you think about something, but will rather ask Google about what you think about it. Or maybe just search your blog for the answer.
Some of us will get too busy blogging our lives that we will pass up opportunities to actually talk (and listen) to others about life. We will look back at our blogs and our digital photos and our iMovies as life, rather than actually communicationg our experiences of one another to one another. We will have no mental or emotional connection to our previous actions, only pixels and picas of our documentation of the events.
(cue swelling emotional movie score)
Again, though, there is balance. If nothing is recorded, much would be lost: if everything is recorded, everything will be lost.
Document when you must, live while you can.
(how do you like them Yogi Berras?)
Comments
Poopy wrote this at 17.42.03..09.03.06
You are completely on the wrong track. Everybody knows wat the purpose of bogging is....SCHMICROPRIZES!!!!!!!
Pete wrote this at 06.58.03..09.04.06
Hope you didn't listen and experience more than you could handle in sunny Reading!
MKinMotion wrote this at 19.00.42..09.08.06
Interesting. I purposely didn't take my camera to the two shows I went to at the Greek Theater (outdoor larger venue) because I knew I wasn't going to be close enough. I took my camera to Hothouse Flowers the other night and because I was at the stage, the pictures are much more justifiable. As far as capturing memories, I think there are a lot of things I wish I had pictures of, maybe not for myself but to help others understand a time and/or place in my life/past. I spent an afternoon scanning old pictures into a computer for my mom and aunt from their childhood and it made me wish that I had my camera with me more.
Montes wrote this at 21.41.24..09.08.06
Interesting. However......I'm still going to take pictures!
shawn wrote this at 22.17.26..09.08.06
don't get me wrong....
take pictures.
lots of 'em.
enjoy.
i think i am wondering more about blogging...how it can HELP build relationships. But a lot of times how it hinders or replaces personal interaction. Our busy-ness to record things can keep us (potentially) from enjoy each other. Whether that is taking pics at an event or family function to blogging our lives away...either way it could be detrimental. I dunno, finding out about friend's lives on blogs is both nice and convenient, but also makes me a bit unhappy, unsatisfied.
