Big Caveat:
More freedom does not necessarily equal more happiness.
In fact, more choices may mean more confusion, mistakes, regret, even despair.
That is the irony at the heart of Jonathan Franzen's latest novel Freedom (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2010).
I need to be brief in this essay.
If I do it as a lengthy academic or scientific exercise this piece has little currency in today's world.
Yes you have the freedom to browse but how do you set about it in the first place?
One must ask a few questions from oneself before the click happy (instead of the trigger happy old world) finger of yours takes over your senses or in this current of year 2011 your touch happy finger dictates your impulses.
Why I am browsing?The list can be in the hundreds but one must chop it down to 3 or 4.
- Is it for inspiration (that is my first choice)?
- Is it for game (occupy the free time if you have in a constructive and enjoyable way)?
- Is it the reflex action routine you have become a slave of?
- Let me explain my first choice for clarity.
We are a country which is emerging from a bitter conflict of prehistoric value and still have not got rid of the ancient and vibrant hate philosophy (my creation of a concept - how hate operates and perpetuates hate into all spheres of activity and faculties) and failed to be actively engaged in this present moment of welcome freedom (all sides to the conflict are to be blamed) constructively.
So as an escape mechanism to avoid internalization of the conflict and forgive and forget philosophy to take root, I used the internet constructively to promote Linux (Live CDs mainly).
Then I scanned the statistics to see only 1% used Linux (it is less than one 1% in this country) in the year 2010.Can this 1% have an impact in the changing world?
The answer I Leave it open for the time being and I want to raise this question again in year end.
I put my experience first.
The one 1% of Linux enthusiast contributed more than I wished for the year 2010.
And the year end I was very happy I had ample time to explore new frontiers.
This writing piece is a valid endorsement of that fact.I am inspired in spite of the small percentage points in statistics.
So inspiration is a relative thing, the problem comes when one tries to assess it quantitatively instead of qualitative empowerment.
Even at a worse of times one can achieve the targets if the target is simple and enthusiasm is the driving force.
It is getting lengthy and I am off the target a bit but this preamble is necessary to summarize the plausible approach to resist the internet preoccupation and temptations.
One should have few questions set before you press the finger on Enter button.
The questions should be relevant in age, time, place and person.
If the browsing habit does not give correct yes or no answers to the questions, set out in first place, it is the onus of the free individual to resit the temptation and switch off the computer.
This is not easy and it has to be practiced everyday like meditation till the habit gets into the system code of one's brain.
This has to be done in early ages and in school.
I browsed somewhat restricted sites (Linux mainly and in this specialized area also there are hackers who invade your privacy and install scripts to hack your system. I detected this about 9 months ago which was a rude surprise to me and alerted the web administrators within hours and it has come back again in the New Year Year with MoonOs to haunt even innocent Linux newbies) and even a veteran can be trapped into deep waters if one is not guarding one's temptations with foresight.
I have not found a single tool in the entire web world (except the advice to parents and users) that let a child or kid would not enter into deep water.
This can be accomplished in a game like manner when one is entering the underworld of internet.
I have some devices thought about and that would work on child friendly and inspirational way.
This is not the place to write more about that but to stating firmly that it can be done without much a do if the adults are ready to take leadership in this arena.
But I should end up with a warning for adult over 55 years (let me say early retirees who are looking for part time jobs or some pre-occupations) they can be gullible target audience for insinuation and luring to porn sites.
They are waiting there for you to register at a site and with your e-account (can be used as a blackmail also, if one is married or is engaged).
Some teenagers are using the same tactics to lure children and bully them too.
If an adult get caught I have no sympathy.
You ought to have been wiser but we should not let internet destroy some of our unsuspecting kids who are using their natural instinct of exploration to expand their inner world.
I say we should actively develop mechanisms instead of dishing out only warning and advices.
Comment I copied from today's New York Times.My writing by accident coincided by good grace!
In the course of the volume the Internet is characterized as a cesspool, a porn store, a form of pinkeye, a raunchy fraternity, a graffiti–filled bathroom wall, a haven for sociopaths, and the breeder of online mobs who are no better than “masked Klan members” in their determination to “interfere with victims’ basic rights.”
