Please read the following text and try to understand before we meet next time.docx

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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