Creating the Zombie
It is pretty hard to get anything done work-wise at home at the moment, as my wife and I are both meant to be working, but a 3 year old doesn't make it easy. For the first time this morning, my wife put the TV on for her so she could get some space. 3.5 years of no television in the home - Covid-19 fucks it all over.
The only thing that I found interesting with it is how quickly my active and highly talkative daughter, became a silent zombie. Children are meant to play and laugh and complain and learn through activity - Screens are the devil.
They say that most of the brain development is created in the first three years, so I am hoping that we have done enough through nutrition and activity so that the neural pathways are strong and effective. She is a clever little girl by pretty much anyone's measure (not just her parent's) and I wonder how much she will regress if sat in front of a television for a few weeks.
While I know that many people think that I am overreacting when it comes to this thing, I have had enough experience in my life to see the effects of passive consumption on skill development and more importantly, imagination growth. I do not think young people that people are overly imaginative today and instead, they are mostly reguritators of the creations of others.
The "share generation" doesn't require creativity, it just needs access to the art of others. There is danger in this as the more it happens, the less creative we become and the less capable we are to solve the challenges we face. And when it happens at a global level through the homogenization of thought and action, we as a society become severely limited.
I predict that like always, the 80/20 Pareto principle will come into play, with 20% of people taking 80% of the resources, but also, 20% of the people responsible for creating 80% of the products. With the drive for automation to replace the human, the last bastion of humanity left standing could be our imagination itself, and that is getting crushed by the day.
Mindless zombies.
Whether my daughter is in the 20 or the 80, is up to her at the end of the day, but the foundation she stands upon I can affect.
Taraz
[ an original ]
I also put my son in front of TV this morning to get some of my work done. And I'm still feeling guilty.
Good to hear your thoughts about parenting.
Yeah it sucks, but it is either that or not get work done, which has other consequences, especially at the moment.
I tell my kids to be creators not consumers of things.
Gotta give them the space to create without the attraction to consume. THe problem with passive entertainment is --- it is entertaining.
Well, once upon a time in the not so distant past when everyone were also somewhat "passive consumers" by other means. Like thru radio, magazines, books, churches, college, in front of a bonfire, etc. And many of them are US. Not has been too bad for our own imagination growth. Isn't it?
Actually, no one has born already learned. But nonetheless, anyone with a minimum of a healthy brain & guts will quickly find where the true value in life really is by themselves and for themselves.
Ah! don't be so harsh & extreme with them my friend. They just will do pretty well and will survive the future in their own way with big style. :)
None of this is passive, as none if it includes all information - there is space for imagination.
I don't believe so. Feed a kind junk food for the first decade, the chance of them running a marathon is severely reduced.
Screens are not all that bad. Well, on second thoughts...
Meh, very little good comes from them :)
And you know how many things a child can do by himself.
Give him only paint and paper, and you can also give him stones, and even these nutshells...
It will turn out such funny and original things...:- )
My daughter paints often and draws daily. I much prefer her getting messy than sitting still and staring.
We have the whole world at our fingertips and what do we do with it? We watch passively. We don't use all that information to become better, it's easier to marvel at others.
Luckily, there are enough attention seekers creating for now...
Click the link for a good time
https://twitter.com/tarazkp1/status/1241976638486843392
Tenebroso pero cierto...