Post 7, The Element:
In chapters relating to personal, social, cultural and time barriers to achieving "the element," the author suggests that some of these factors are no longer as limiting due to large-scale culture shifts. For example, global connectivity means less isolation from ideas and people so the culture into which you are born may no longer be the only one to which you are exposed. In addition, he suggests that culture shifts, medical advances and opportunities related to aging makes fewer dreams "impossible" later in life. What do you think?
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I think global connectivity has really opened doors for a lot of people; not only in terms of creating opportunities, but also in terms of exploration. There are also a lot of "virtual tribes" online. If you have an interest in something, regardless of how obscure it may be, there is probably an enthusiastic group you can join online somewhere to discuss that passion. I have a group of people online that I interact with regularly about mail art and artist trading cards, 2 not-so-mainstream forms of art. If it weren't for the global connection that the internet provides, 1: I probably would've never heard of these movements. and 2: I wouldn't have anyone else to discuss them with. So global connectivity, I think, is playing a huge role in people being able to find their element.
ReplyDeleteI've thought about this aging thing quite a bit. I feel like it's an issue that exists on 2 levels. First, there is the reality that medical advances and healthier lifestyles are allowing us to live much longer lives than in the past. And those years can be lived in a very active way all the way until the end. As such, retirement can easily be thought of as the beginning of a new career or a perfect time to begin learning something entirely new. But on the second level I see barriers, at least in American culture. For the most part, Americans don't view aging as optimistically as some other cultures. Instead of thinking of aging as a wisdom gaining experience and viewing older citizens as an integral part of society we tend to have the view that they have already made their contribution and now they're just taking up space. Of course, I'm generalizing, but in my own experience this is the prevelant attitude. In turn, that attitude gets built into our own psyches almost subconsciously, and we begin to believe it ourselves as we age. Thus, we build our own barriers to leading long, fulfilling lives. I do think those attitudes are beginning to change, but that will be a slow process. The good news, I think, is that the reality of finding your element exists until the day you finally kick the bucket. So anyone who believes in that possibility can act on it at any point in their life.