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Being new, a couple of years, to the tech world I find it more of a struggle to maintain a spiritual life than before this period. I practice very simple non-religous specific practices but have been finding it more and more difficult lately and want to know how other likeminded tech-oriented people that have been here awhile manage to let the two worlds compliment each other or at least peacefully coexist. The bottom line is I refuse to give up either :o
I don't understand. How does technology affect your personnality ?
Technology affect my personality??? Of course it does! Where I used to seek entertainment in the company of others I now spend about 12 hours a day online or reading tech stuff ot talking tech stuff. I plan my walks with my dogs past places like radio shack, or whatever, where I can stop in and warm up for a few minutes and look at "gadgets".
Yet that is waht I do willingly. what bothers me is a sense of being "connected" and if you haven't been there this won't make sense
When you say spiritual life are you refering to going to church on a weekly basis? If so technology studies should not hinder your ability to spend one hour a week with god, Ala, Buhda or whatever.
The 'net for me is a place to find new information, gain additional knowledge and skills to increase my ability to find new information, gain additional knowledge and the circle goes on. Kind of like having a monster library right in your own house. The time spent in front of the monitor is kind of like perusing a great library on steroids. You have all seen the "doubling of knowledge" spiral, and the 'net is part of the engine for that quantum increase in our knowledge. Where we used to use slide-rules and chalkboards to figure complicated mathmatical processes we now tap the values into a computer and click the go-button. Where we used to have to find a professor or scientist to settle a complex question, we now click up what we want in a search-engine.
I don't see a conflict between the massive availability of technology, and maintaining the spirituality and social contacts, enjoyments etc. we always had back in the slower days. I spend a lot of time at the keyboard, maintaining domains, studying, dropping in to places like Antionline briefly where a bit of relaxing discussion may also provide tidbits of knowledge. But i still take time away from cyber-space for the earthly things like fishing, camping, photography, visiting with friends......... Both A.Einstein and S. Hawking have said they have no problem maintaining their spirituality and their belief that the more they learn the more they believe there is "a higher intelligence directing all this..." ( meaning the universe).
Probably, if one activity takes over your whole life and directs your daily schedule to distraction, whether it be the internet, sleeping, watching TV, drinking beer or whatever........ you might have a problem that needs more of your personal attention. But then, on the other hand, if all you *want* to do is surf the 'net, watch T.V., or drink beer, and you can afford to do that, and it doesn't adversely impact the other members of your family....... then who cares? Sometimes a genius in one field is a failure in another. One of Einstein's teachers is reported to have declared young Albert a complete failure, because he was poor at the english language. So much for the teacher's opinion.
You usually develop and work on the things you enjoy most. Usually.