Lanham’s chapter one regarding materialistic concepts left a bug in my brain, so to speak. It really got me thinking about the materialism of the first world countries and the fact that we have to have pillow-top mattresses and thirty-seven coffee mugs while people in other nations do well to have clean water. I’m not going to be entirely altruistic and tell you that I’m going to go sell everything that isn’t a necessity out of my apartment to provide for these people, but what is important? Whose definition of a necessity would one even utilize for an act such as this? I doubt a starving child would find my abundance of accessories or blackout curtains as important as I do.
But to take it one step further, what can you do without? This is the theme which stuck in my brain while reading this chapter, and as a result, I decided to do something about it. My decision is that if I A) ride the bus from my apartment complex to class instead of paying for parking and B) make coffee at home sometimes instead of buying Starbucks 6 days per week, I can afford to help others; That’s what I’m going to do.
I have hereby pledged to make a $25 per month donation to Invisible Children. I won’t go into the whole story of what this organization is, but I’ll paste the link within the blog in order for you to be better informed. This cause is worth your time; trust me.
In another chapter, “What’s next for text,” the author describes how technology has changed and changed us in the recent years. I won’t delve heavily into this topic, although it could be seen as a continuation of the last blog, but I will say this:
While technology has undoubtedly made us closer, it has also been the thing to drive the wedge between us. It allows friends to easily communicate over long distances while allowing relationships to fail due to that tiny piece of tech that we can’t seem to put down. Let me tell you, it’s not attractive when you roll over to check your phone before you check your girlfriend in the morning, fellas. Technology and the appropriateness of the way in which it is use can actually make or break relationships- be they romantic, platonic, friendships, business/working, or whatever else you may have. So as technology continues to evolve, we will find both more problems and solutions continuing to arise.
*This is the Invisible Children Website… I don’t know how to hyperlink, sorry.
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/
