The recent influx of university shootings is truly lamentable, but is it surprising?
Students, how many days a week do you walk across campus listening to music, ear buds or ear phones blocking out the world? It's a proven fact that technology creates feelings of increased individualism and isolation. How many more people would you speak to every day if you weren't closed off to the world? It seems to me that the technology that forms a protective covering for so many young people may be the very problem. Do these electronic devices create a false sense of comfort as you traverse a campus riddled with peers that you will never meet but in passing while they actually create a literally deadly situation?
The student populations of American universities, especially those of large institutions, need to take this problem into their own hands. The source comes from among our ranks; so must come the change. Reach out to someone. Anyone. The power of human interaction needs to be restored among our generation. Being brought up in the information age is going to help us change the world for the better, but our readiness to accept technology, sometimes as a replacement for physical correspondence, can and will destroy our humanity if we don't keep the powers and capabilities of these technologies in check.
Virgina Tech. NIU. I'm not saying that ipods and ear phones caused the tragic events that have unfolded this past year, but I am saying that the power to halt them rests in the hearts and minds of the very population affected.
That's you. That's me. Take off the ear phones. Say hello to a stranger. You truly never know how far such a simple act of compassion can reach.
::EDIT::
Use the link below to help out some of the students affected by the tornado that hit Union University. Anything helps. Donations are processed through PayPal. Contact Blake Stannard for more information.
Students, how many days a week do you walk across campus listening to music, ear buds or ear phones blocking out the world? It's a proven fact that technology creates feelings of increased individualism and isolation. How many more people would you speak to every day if you weren't closed off to the world? It seems to me that the technology that forms a protective covering for so many young people may be the very problem. Do these electronic devices create a false sense of comfort as you traverse a campus riddled with peers that you will never meet but in passing while they actually create a literally deadly situation?
The student populations of American universities, especially those of large institutions, need to take this problem into their own hands. The source comes from among our ranks; so must come the change. Reach out to someone. Anyone. The power of human interaction needs to be restored among our generation. Being brought up in the information age is going to help us change the world for the better, but our readiness to accept technology, sometimes as a replacement for physical correspondence, can and will destroy our humanity if we don't keep the powers and capabilities of these technologies in check.
Virgina Tech. NIU. I'm not saying that ipods and ear phones caused the tragic events that have unfolded this past year, but I am saying that the power to halt them rests in the hearts and minds of the very population affected.
That's you. That's me. Take off the ear phones. Say hello to a stranger. You truly never know how far such a simple act of compassion can reach.
::EDIT::
Use the link below to help out some of the students affected by the tornado that hit Union University. Anything helps. Donations are processed through PayPal. Contact Blake Stannard for more information.
3 comments:
Blake said...
You are my favorite person ever.
Marshall Fletcher said...
William Fletcher said...