Carry It Forward: Conscious Thinking

                Life can be incredibly overwhelming at times. With the constant buzzing of phones, loud noises from the television, and bright lights from computer screens, I begin to feel trapped by modern technology. Nicholas Carr would explain the power of new equipment as “the ‘frenzied-ness of technology threatens to ‘entrench itself everywhere’.” It begins to take over many of our lives forbidding any moments of self reflecting and being aware. Instead it allows us to roam around unconsciously. In Nicholas Carr’s book The Shallows, he explains how technology can make us unconscious, less creative and lazier.  

In The Shallows it says, “Our ability to engage in “meditative thinking,” which he saw as the very essence of our humanity, might become a victim if headlong progress. The tumultuous advance of technology could, like the arrival of the locomotive at the Concord station, drown out the refined perceptions, thoughts, and emotions that arise only through contemplation and reflection” (222). After reading this last part of the book, I understood how fast technology is advancing and how fast we become over-involved with new products. This passage also reminds me of when I was completely unaware while walking through the streets of an old city in Iran. I was constantly texting and looking at my phone instead of really enjoying the wonderful sites. After understanding this passage, I have decided to balance the amount of technology I use. Instead of going on Facebook or checking what’s new online, I’ll take a moment to reflect on my day and actually think about how I spent my day. Nicholas Carr has taught me to be more conscious of what is happening around me instead of being caught up in modern equipment.