Journals

Intimacy:
On pages 32-35 of our text, Schultze writes about intimacy, knowing and informationsim. Do you concur that intimacy is lacking in our present culture? Schultze (p. 33) states, "students often lack any personal commitment to what they are learning. They feel as though they are merely memorizing someone else's information and learning about others' data or skills, not developing their own knowledge...." After reading the entire paragraph on that page, let me know your reaction.

Unfortunately, I do agree that intimacy is lacking and losing ground in our culture. While the internet can be used for staying in contact, too often it is substituting for the time that is required for personal intimacy, for getting to know another intimately. Having family overseas and constantly on the move, technology can keep us in touch and up to date on current events but it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to holding the babies, hearing the first words and helping a little one learn to walk. Empathy is also shortchanged when someone is experiencing difficulty. Being in the physical presence of the ones who need us cannot be assimilated into words and pictires. The ability to run away from tough conversations and topics serves little purpose, but is easily accomplished when it only takes the flick of a switch or the touch of a button. In person, it is harder to ignore the consequences of our actions and words. Perhaps technology does make it easier to deal with those situations where words are not enough. But it cannot console as intimate contact. So I guess it really depends on one's definition of intimacy and what one has learned about handling it. Debi


 * RSS feeds:**

Help! I don't know about RSS feeds. Can a more experienced web-traveler be my guide into that part of the web-jungle? Tell me about your RSS experiences...the blessings and dangers, too. Thanks!

Jeanette

I am using bloglines for an RSS feed reader and am very happy with it, Jeanette. As I understand it, there are two types of RSS feed readers, one that is machine mounted and one that is web based. Bloglines is web-based. My only caution about bloglines is that if you do not want other people having the ability to see what you are reading, make sure you choose the private option when you add a feed to the reader. Most blogs and websites provide RSS feeds which the reader picks up. A feed is an update, to let you know that the blog or page has new content, thereby alerting you that one of your targeted sites has new content. I have even set up my reader to pick up any new discussion items that have been posted on this wiki site, which enabled me to see this morning that Amy and Deb had posted discussion items over the weekend. Scot

Friends:

I realize this does not expand current conversations, however as an educator I found this interesting:

"Studying helps students get better grades. Playing video games doesn't. According to a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, college students who were suddenly exposed to video games through their roommates spent less time studying—an average of 40 minutes less. That translated to grade-point averages 0.24 points lower than they had before gaming came into their lives." [USA Today, 9/18/07]

Dave

Fellow Sojourners,

This Wiki page is still a bit out of my comfort zone. I completed my M.Ed from Fox when they began their on-line program. Back then I thought it was pretty new and different. I have seen the changes over time and have had to re-train myself with each change. I have appreciated Scot and his innovations, but I still think I am doing well when I download photos on my e-mail. However, I will not be discouraged....I will continue to learn.

Mike

MIke--Cheryl here. I can relate to your posting about downloading pictures. I don't consider myself very technologically savvy, but I was okay with downloading pictures. But, with a recent software upgrade, my old download habits no longer worked, and I find I don't have the flexible knowledge it takes to apply what I knew to this new platform. So there went my false sense of security--I can't download (actually, I was trying to upload as well as download) my pictures either :-(

I have heard people that have just bought VISTA say they are having a lot of problems with software and doing things on their computers that they used to be able to do in XP. Why do we have to keep learning new Windows programs- can't they update so that the older software and functions still work on the newer format? (Sue)

Dear Sue: I agree; it's frustrating to have to keep changing our skill set, but I have heard that the upgrade will allow more and better functionality. (Cheryl)

I was just visiting OuakerOuaker from Scot's wiki and came across this explanation of the relationship between intimacy and responsibility by Cherice on her Quaker Oats Live page: Why is it that we want to make ourselves invisible, or want to make others invisible? Of course it comes down to our fear of the tremendous responsibility we have for the other when we allow ourselves to truly see them. And yet, at the same time, we have this insatiable desire to be seen, to be known truly for who we are, to not be categorized or dismissed, but to be truly seen.

At the same time we have a huge problem with being seen in this way. For some reason it's incredibly scary to be so transparent, to take off our masks and let others see in to who we are. It's easier to block ourselves off, to make ourselves "invisible" to others so they can't see our real selves, than to experience the pain of showing our real selves and being dismissed and made invisible by others.

It is also easier to put up walls so we can't see others--these can be physical or intangible walls--so we don't see their pain, which we would be required to ease, so we don't see the fact that we're causing them pain, which we would definitely be required to right. We put up walls by making enough middle-men (or middle-women) so that we don't really know what we're doing is hurting others, so the responsibility is not ours. The classic example of this, of course, is the military--no one is ultimately responsible for others' deaths, because those who order it don't carry it out, and those who carry it out are just following orders. But we do this in so many other ways, too: I don't know where my shoes come from! How could I know if they were made in a sweat shop? Or just living as we "must" in America because there's no other way to live (so we justify to ourselves), even though the way we live costs the lives of others the world over each day just so we can have the luxuries we've come to need.

So it comes down to the problems of intimacy and responsibility. We all want intimacy, but we don't really want responsibility. And yet, with intimacy comes responsibility to be a safe place for that intimacy to grow and blossom. Why is that so hard? Especially in our meetings, I see this as a huge problem. We say we want to be close to each other, but we do not create the time to get to know anyone on a deep level. We don't take the time to listen to the Spirit together in an intimate way. We listen to the Spirit together in safe ways, where we all follow the rules of the gathered meeting, and where people are eldered if they break those rules.

I would suggest that because we've lost almost all levels of intimacy with one another, we have lost intimacy with God.

Scary thought, but one I have contemplated recently. Debi

Based on my research so far, sociological, economic, political, behavioral, and philosophical perspectives impacts the use of technology as use of technology is social mechanism and culture is indifferent to Christianity. I spoke with three Christian organizations and all three reported many challenges with this indifference in terms of God's presence or grace and their ability to experience God's hand in their lives. Therefore, the effectiveness web site, e-mail, web training and video training depended on each country's culture, their relationship with God and ability to embrace technology. As such, it is the difference between the sense of control that the technology gives and the spiritual richness that a sense of contingency nurtures. The two cultures of technology and a person's openness to welcome technology needed to be build upon perceived Christianity based on economic, political and sociological value system.

Some countries do not embrace technology as it is not in harmony with their Christian practice and how they may define God's presence in their lives.

Alyssa