So I've been in some in an impromptu "pit stop" mode of sorts lately, taking a break from everything , trying to put together what is next on the agenda. I've been reading a lot, and thinking about things I have been studying. I had a strange dream last year that I had an old friend interpret for me not too long ago. For brevity's sake I'll spare the details of the dream, but her verdict of the meaning of the dream was that I was "in-between space". My dear friend was an art/paradigm and psychology major during her undergraduate years of study so I trust her judgement. As I mentioned in an earlier post I am quite the ambivalent person, however I have often used this trait to my advantage by actively searching for variegated points of view. I did this during my undergraduate years committing myself to both the study of Psychology and Philosophy. It was an interesting ride, rough but interesting.
I am reading two books right now that both follow in the same theme of finding common ground amongst the inundating sea of information/disciplines that are seemingly contradictory or mutually inimical. Consilience by Edward Wilson attempts to find underlying laws/ connections between the sciences arts and the humanities. Wikinomics by Don Tapscott explores how collaborative tools such as Wikipedia, Youtube and the like are changing society and business. A common theme found in both works is the that of Epigenesis. This is a developmental concept that emphasises how one's environment provides critical options or base tools from which the individual may build themselves from, essentially this evinces a kind of mutual dependence between nature and environment. From a macroscopic perspective we can see this in how man both creates and is created by his culture.
In our current information laden age it is easy to see first hand how overwhelming information has become. From the blogosphere, to twitter, to Facebook, internet memes, e-mail, text messages etc etc ad infinitum, we are awash in a sea of facts, tidbits, or data ranging from the inane to the profound. Based on ones perspective this can be either a blessing or a bane. We could see this with a sense of futility and assume there's nothing to be gained, or learned, subscribing to nihilistic mindset. There is no underlying truth, it's all subjective, or at worst all ultimately pointless. Alternatively we could see all this information as an untapped resource. In an elective course on information communication's technology I learned a profound insight, stating that information is the raw resource that is distilled into knowledge. Almost anything can be found within a relevant context and qualified as knowledge. Looking at the personal network, Facebook could be seen vehicle of boredom and futility, (do I really need to now that Johnny Public is watching Grey's Anatomy in 2hrs?) or as a springboard to enrich old or new friendships and find common ground, partnerships, ideas for joint ventures etc. (This has obvious repercussions for networking in the professional aspect) Ultimately we will get what we put in, with respect to the tools we have at our disposal.
Personally I prefer the view that information resources however fast and inundating can be shaped and employed to meet our needs and values (professional and recreational). Academia is no exception, I found myself most inspired at school when finding connections and parallels amongst seemingly unrelated disciplines of study, in fact I think it's safe to say it was only during those moments when learning was activity I valued as an end in itself instead of a hoop I was jumping through for some other reason.
I can imagine how easier life in general would be if we consistently committed ourselves to the childlike curiosity of the new. Instead of demonizing those who don't share our religious credes and instead finding and emphasising our common humanity, how long would religiously inflamed conflict and war persist? How much longer would international politics hamper national securities if they ceased to be framed ethnocentrically? In a world of confusion and misunderstanding I believe strongly that synergy and continual crossing of perspectives is our sole saving grace.
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