Please read the following text and try to understand before we meet next time.docx
《Please read the following text and try to understand before we meet next time.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《Please read the following text and try to understand before we meet next time.docx(6页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
![Please read the following text and try to understand before we meet next time.docx](https://file1.bdocx.com/fileroot1/2023-1/6/a98030e1-64c9-4a6c-bfe9-cf53fc265b38/a98030e1-64c9-4a6c-bfe9-cf53fc265b381.gif)
Pleasereadthefollowingtextandtrytounderstandbeforewemeetnexttime
Pleasereadthefollowingtextandtrytounderstandbeforewemeetnexttime!
Hyperculture
StephenBertman
1High-speedlivingenforcesalive-for-the-presentmentalitythatobscureshistoryandmemory.Wemustrestoreabalanceofthepast,present,andfuture.
2Theairplanesthatfirstattemptedtobreakthesoundbarrierwererippedapartwhentheytriedtopenetratetheturbulentpressurewavesrushingaheadofthem.Onlyredesignedaircraft—withthinner,swept-backwingsandstreamlinedfuselages—permittedtestpilotstopuncturetheinvisiblewallofcompressedair.
3Theprinciplesofphysicsthatexplainthesoundbarriercanalsohelpusunderstandtheoriginandnatureofstressinourlives.Asthevelocityofeverydaylifeincreases—asweflyfasterandfasterthroughtheatmosphereofdailyexperience—our“aircraft”encountersaturbulenceitwasneverdesignedtowithstand.Asourspeedincreases,invisiblepressuresbuildup,pressuresstrongenoughtoshatterthestructuralintegrityofourpersonalitiesandourrelationships.Ultimately,wemaylosecontrol,orthecraftweflymaydisintegrate.
4Thesimplesolution,ofcourse,istoslowdown.Butifwecannotslowdown—orchoosenotto—theonlyremainingansweristoredesignourlives,toadaptstructurallytoournewfoundspeed.Butwhatdoes“adaptstructurally”rallymean?
Anaircraftcanbegivenswept-backwingsthathelpitbreakthesoundbarrier,butwearehumanbeings,notmachines.Whatpartsofourlivescanwealter?
Andifthestresseachofusfeelsisexperiencedsociallyaswellasindividually,whatchangesmustsocietyasawholemaketoaccommodateitselftofastertimes?
5TheanswerstothesequestionswillultimatelydefinethequalityofAmericanlife.Fortheadaptationswemaketospeedalterthefundamentalnatureofourexistence,notonlyintermsofourbehaviorbutalsointermsofourpriorities.Afastersocietyisadifferentsociety,differentnotmerelyinitsvelocitybutinitsvalues.Notstressbutratherouraccommodationstoitwilldeterminethefuturecharacterorourcivilization.
SocialAcceleration
6In1970,AlvinTofflerdescribedthesymptomsofanewdiseasehecalled“futureshock.”AccordingtoToffler,futureshockwasapsycho-biologicalconditioninducedbysubjectingindividualsto“toomuchchangeintooshortatime.”Toofflerarguedthattechnologicalandsocialchangesweretakingplacesorapidlythatpeoplecouldnolongeradapttothem.“Futureshock,”hewrote“isthedizzyingdisorientationbroughtonbytheprematurearrivalofthefuture…[U]nlessmanquicklylearnstocontroltherateofchangeinhispersonalaffairsaswellasinsocietyatlarge,wearedoomedtoamassiveadaptationalbreakdown.”
7SincethepublicationofFutureShockalmost30yearsago,therateofsocialchangehasradicallyincreased.Largelyresponsibleforthisincreasehasbeentherapiddevelopmentanddeploymentofoldertechnologiesandtheswiftintroductionandgrowthofnewones.Supportedbyanelectronicnetworkofinstantaneouscommunications,ourculturehasbeentransformedintoagloballyintegratedsysteminwhichtheprimeandunchallengeddirectiveistokeepupwithchange.
8ThecomputerreceivedscantattentioninFutureShock—andtheunderstandablyso.Afterall,thefirstwordprocessordidnotappearuntil1970;thefirstsiliconchip,notuntil1971;thefirstpersonalcomputer,notuntil1975.Evenaslateas1984,onlyeightoutof100Americanhouseholdshadacomputer.Injusttwoyears,however,thefiguredoubled.Andby1994,therewasacomputerinmorethanoneoutofeverythreeAmericanhomes.Meanwhile,computerspeedwasincreasingatarateof55%ayear,ande-mailandInternetusewerejuststartingtobecomecommonplace.
9Atthesametime,othertechnologieswererevvingAmericaup.Salesofcellphonesandfaxmachines,numberedinthelowhundredsofthousandsin1980s,climbedto7millionayearinjustadecade.Andby1997,some2millionAmericanswerecarryingelectronicpagers.
10Yetmoreimportantthanthepopularityofanyoneofthesetechnologiesistheircombination,whichradicallyreinforcesandintensifiestheirindividualimpacts.Itistheirelectroniclinkagethatkeepspictures,sounds,anddatacontinuallycoursingonanonstop,high-speedtrack,saturatingourenvironmentwithinstancy.Andthemorethatsocietydependsuponelectronicinformationflowandentertainment,themoreoureverydaylivesneedtokeepupwithitsspeed-of-lightpace,sinceoureconomicandemotionalexistenceiswiredintoitscircuitry.
11Withoutquestion,thisspeedcanbeexhilarating.Itbringsuswhatweneedandwantfasterthaneverbefore.Butthatsamespeedcanalsoaddstresstoourlives.
12Forexample,inanationalsurveyconductedin1986bytheLouisHarrisorganization,oneoutofthreeAmericanssaidtheylivewithstressnearlyeveryday.Andsixoutof10saidtheyexperienced“greatstress”onceortwiceaweek.In1994,twooutof10peoplequestionedreportedfeelinggreatstressalmosteveryday,accordingtothefindingsofthePreventionIndexsurvey.
13Inaddition,use-of-timestudiesbyUniversityofMarylandsociologistJohnRobinsonhaverevealedaprogressiveincreaseinhurriednessovertheyears.In1965,25%ofthosesurveyedsaidtheirliveswererushedallthetime.By1975,thefigurehadrisento28%;by1985,ithadclimbedto32.And,morerecentlyin1992,PennStateresearchersGeorffreyGodbeyandAlanGraefeputthefigureat38%,almosta50%increasefrom1965.Strikingly,thosewholivedinsmalltownsfeltasrushedasthosewholivedinbigcities.Justasstrikingly,bothgroupsfelttheirliveswerehurriednotonlyatworkbutalsoatplay.
14Thepresenceofstressinourlivesisalsorevealedbytheprintedword.Inthelastfiveyears,almost400articlesonstressandtimemanagementhaveappearedinpopularnationalmagazines.Inaddition,therearesome900bookscurrentlyinprintonthesetopics.Allthesepublicationsdomorethanjustshowthatstressisapopularsubject.Theyalsodemonstratehowlittlecontrolweseemtohaveoverit.
15Likeitornot,we’veallbeendraftedintoanarmy,apeacetimearmythatfightsonthebattlefieldofeverydaylife.Wewage“timewars”touseauthorJeremyRifkin’sterm:
warsbetweentheslowerpaceourmindsandbodiescraveandthefastertempoourtechnologydemands.Weareallcombatveteransofsuchwars.
ThePowerofNow
16Aswetravelatwarpspeed,wefallundertheswayofanewforce,thepowerofnow.Thepowerofnowistheintenseenergyofanunconditionalpresent,apresentuncompromisedbyanyotherdimensionoftime.Underitsall-consumingpower,theprioritieswelivebyaretransformedinafinalactofadaptationtoelectronicspeed.Ourlivesceasetobewhattheyoncewere,notbecauselifeitselfhaschanged,butbecausethewayweseeithasbeenaltered.
17Thepowerofnowreplacesthelongtermwiththesortterm,durationwithimmediacy,permanencewithtransience,memorywithsensation,insightwithimpulse.
18Unlikethemonasteryorthedesert,wheremysticsonceattainedtranscendentperspectivebywithdrawingfromtheworld,therealofnowisanenvironmentofpervasivesensorystimulationandswiftflux,acontinuallyalteredcosmosthatoffersusnofixedhorizon.Asaconsequence,ourlivescometobecharacterizedmorebytheirrandomtrajectorythanbyanyreasoneddestination.
19Theindividual,thefamily,andsocietyatlargeareallbeingtransformedbythepowerofnow.Notonlyisitalteringtheirnature,itischangingtheverymeaningthesewordshaveinourminds.Thus,underitsinfluence,bothrealityandourunderstandingofrealityarebeingreshaped.
TheFluidIndividual
20Thepowerofnowimmerseseachofusinanatmosphereoftransienceandflux.Wefloatonthecurrentofanelectromagneticseawhosewavesarevisibleonthescreensoftelevisionsetsandcomputers.Evenasitseductivelyentertainsorinformsuswithitscontent,eachmediumindoctrinatesuswithitsform,aformcharacterizedbyinstantlychangingimages.Asresult,webecomeprogressivelydesensitizedtotheimportanceofcontinuityandwholenessinourlives.Inuredtowhatistemporary,welosetouchwiththepermanent.
21Inaculturefedbyafast-movingelectronicstream,thosewho“gowiththeflow”tofindexcitementandfulfillmentinexorablyspeeduptheirlives.Morethansimplyinducingstress,theprolongedaccelerationofbehaviorcanleadtomarkedchangesinpersonality,changesevidentinone’sexternalappearanceandinnersensibilities.Throughdiets,steroids,andplasticsurgery,peopleseekthetransformationoftheouterselfintheshortestpossibletime.Meanwhile,throughpsychotropicdrugsandteachingsthatpromiseshortcutstohappinessandwell-being,theyseekthetransformationoftheinnerselfaswell.
22Byassigningthehighestprioritytospeed,thepowerofnowunderminesthevalueofthoseexperiencesandactivitiesthatrequireslownesstodevelop:
psychologicalmaturation,thebuildingofmeaningfulandlastinghumanrelationships,thedoingofcarefulandresponsiblework,thecreationandappreciationofthearts,andthesearchforanswerstolife’sgreatestproblemsandmysteries.Atthesametime,byencouragingtheimmediategratificationofthesenses,thepowerofnowobscurestheneedtocultivatethoseskillsandvirtues—patience,commitment,self-denial,andevenself-sacrificewithoutwhichnocivilizationcanlongendure.
23Fulfillingtheneedtofeelacertainway,satisfyingthedesiretolookacertainway,thepowerofnowshapesth