Awakening

The concept of occupation is beginning to define the world we live in.  Free time has become at once the bogeyman of the unemployed and the greener grass for those with something to do.  Consider that last time you had some free time – was it free, or did you sacrifice something for it?  Did you work for your free time, or maybe during it?  Was that time on the beach free? Or, could you not wait to get back to the hotel that you specifically selected for its free wifi so that you could upload your pictures to facebook?

As the world becomes more connected and advanced, the allure of being able to be superhumanly productive or engaged begins to pull at the corner of our consciousness.  The advent of game mechanics being built into many of these systems continues to blur the line between work and play.

What is free time?

The reason free time is such an effective idea is that it is at once evocative and vague, conjuring different images for each person.  It is because of its vague nature that free time remains a happy but ultimately illusory exercise in theoretical time management.  Indeed, much as a gardener needs to water their plants, so too have we become the tenders to the garden of our own connections.  What happens when the garden of our time is full of weeds?  Indeed, there is something to be concerned about in a society that has come to regard online social interaction as an end rather than as a means to an end.

The human experience is all about experience, and I cannot help but wonder if future generations will measure their success in the accumulated XP of their online personas, rather than the beers they shared with friends or the mountains they climbed just to prove they were capable.  We are drowning ourselves in a sea of accessibility and productivity while losing sight of the fact that your time on this planet is limited.  How likely is it that you will remember all the emails you wrote and texts you responded to when you are lying on your deathbed?  Make use of whatever your concept of free time is, take charge by letting yourself be unleashed from the tethers of always being on call and who knows what wonderful things may happen?

My free time is occupied in thinking about what I can do to learn from those that went before, as well as hoping that one day I can make a small contribution to the legacy of humanity.

And now, a toast or a poem, depending on the occasion and the company.  I wrote it in my head at the Lawrence Hall of Science tonight at 11:30 while admiring the Bay Area cityscape.  I call it Awakening:

Here’s to the day and here’s to the night.

Each one a gift, not simply a right.

A view, a friend, appreciate all that you can

Because it’s what’s in your heart that makes you truly a man.

Popularity: 6% [?]