Of Facebook

In Montaigne’s Of the Cannibals, he argues that cannibals, without Christianity and civilization, were just as advanced as Western Europeans. This was seems quite shocking because these "savages" didn't even know about such important things like, math, reading and writing and other basic skills that most elementary children are taught. Instead, they relied on their basic instincts and the laws of nature to govern their society and it worked. 

Now for Europeans at this time it seemed impossible to live without things like, fine clothing, wealth, precious medals and education. During the dark ages, many of these things were lost but thanks to the renaissance they were rediscovered and now seemed essential to life. People without these things were considered savages and were greatly looked down upon. 

In many ways our society is like the Europeans' at this time. It now seems like it's super important and essential to have a nice tv, a smartphone, a laptop, Facebook and other entertainment devices. And don't get me wrong, these are important thing but when they dominate and control our lives they become a problem. For the longest time, I didn't have a Facebook because I didn't really see the value in it. And every time I told someone that I didn't have one they looked at me like I was some kind of freak. I don't think they realized that life was possible without it. I eventually ended up getting one because I was sick of peoples' responses when they found out that I didn't have one. But in many ways, I wish that I hadn't got one because I feel like I've lost a personal connection with many of friends. Now instead of calling a friend up to see how they are doing I just check Facebook. 

I think that this was one of the key elements of Montaigne's argument is that many things that seem essential to our lives aren't really that important and that we can easily live without them. Also that we should worry more about those around us instead of less important things like Facebook. 

That we may not lose touch

I see that many of my fellow peers have commented on the effects of social media and I wish to discuss the same. My question, which is similar to Andrew Olson’s is, does social media promote or hinder our communication? This is a question that is important to be asking now because we have social media all around us such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and many more that I have not even heard of. It is taking over our lives and we most likely continue to grow, therefore I believe that it is important that we take time to ask ourselves questions such as the one above.

Let’s take a look at some of the pros, because there definitely are some benefits to social media. I served in a mission in Honduras Comayaguela. It is a beautiful little country with many wonderful people that I would like to keep in touch with. Two major problems though were that it is expensive to call and they don’t have addresses to it is impossible to write them. While there we didn't ask people what their address was. You ask someone where they live and they will tell you, “I live down this street, in a pink house, two houses down from the pulperia (a mini store run out of people’s homes) on the right.” Like I mentioned no addresses and those directions can’t really be written on an envelope, so I was extremely grateful for social media when I got home because many people, although not all of them, had a Facebook account. It is fun to hear from them every now and again and see their pictures. I have also heard accounts of older generational people finding dear childhood friends who they had lost contact with many years before. Another benefit is for companies to communicate with other companies or the people around them. I recently applied for a job where they asked me to take a look at their Facebook, Twitter and Glassdoor accounts. Social media is a great way to relay information.

It’s not all rainbows and butterflies though. Social media can be a great tool but I also think it can hinder our communication. The key though is if you allow it to. I think it can be used wisely but I believe that younger generations who have never know a world without social media may not know how to balance it. They are more prone to losing themselves in social media. I remember driving through my neighborhood a year or so ago and I saw these two kids out on their bikes. They came to a corner, stopped their bikes and whipped out their phones. They sat there for a while, texting or checking their social media pages and it made me sad. I remember when I was young and would lose myself in my imagination and the world outside, not my cell phone. I also think that texting and other forms of social media and hinder people’s ability to communicate personally face to face with others. At this point there is no way to get rid of social media, put restrictions on it or just forbid it, “To forbid us anything is to make us have a mind for it.” (Michel Montaigne) So, what we need to do is self-evaluate once in a while and ask ourselves if we are allowing social media to dominate our lives. I also believe that as siblings and parents we need to reach out to the youth and teach them how to balance their use of social media so they don’t lose touch with reality.

Of Language Acquisition

"Two days ago I saw a child that two men and a nurse, who said they were the father, the uncle, and the aunt of it, carried about to get money by showing it, by reason it was so strange a creature" (Montaigne). I likewise have been exposed to such a child, held as a curious sight, and one worth studying: In 1957 a child named Genie was born into a severely neglectful and abusive home. She was despised by her father before even reaching a year of age and was, from that point on, isolated and locked in her room in complete isolation. Most of this time she was either strapped to a toilet or tied to her bed. In this abusive situation she was restrained from almost all verbal communication, which ultimately resulted in not acquiring language. Even when she was removed and had specialists supporting her, she was never able to fully communicate. I couldn't help but think about Genie as we were talking about communication in class; her case illustrates that language is not just inherent, but needs to be learned through exposure. Additionally, it shows that language is important for growth in other areas of life such as IQ, thought, and communication. Similarly, two summers ago I met two little kids named Vlad and Natasha who I would like to introduce:

Natasha and Vlad were in a situation like Genie. They were severely neglected by their parents and for the first few years of their lives, they were generally chained to a radiator in the back of their mother's home as she had visits from strangers. Luckily, unlike Genie, they were found by ages 4 and 2 so they are now able to communicate and speak with only slight impediments. 

Based on these two stories, I believe that language is imperative for civilization to develop. People need to be able to convey ideas and express themselves in order to have society progress. On the other hand, people have questioned whether or not this is in fact true, that you need language, and perhaps actual language is not necessary. I don't believe that we would consider animal sounds to be a language, but animals are able to convey at least basic messages to one another through their noises. For instance, and elephant baby can call to it's mother and the mother knows exactly what is wrong. In this case, language is not necessary for them to survive, but perhaps language is necessary to progress. As far as I know, no other creature has developed into societies like humans. There are no cities, production lines, distribution processes, etc. for any animal species, but this is a trademark of humanity. Therefore, perhaps language isn't necessary for survival, but, in order for a civilization to develop and profess, we need language.