Make Like Mufasa and Remember Who You Are

We seem to have a deep-seated need to divide the world along racial and ethnic boundaries.  Maybe it helps us make sense of who we and others are.  Often, we jump to silly conclusions, based on very little evidence. Is this going to be more common with the exponential growth of globalization? Yes, globalization has been around for a while, it is far from new. But look at business, look at college students. Look at your phone. I got the new DroidPro a couple of weeks ago and it came with 3 international plug adapters so I will be able to charge if should I leave the country. The global specs of the phone are surprisingly substantial. But anyways, one cannot deny the fact that globalization has picked up in the last 5 years or so, and it's only picking up speed. 

So as a reaction, will we end up creating new dividing lines, clinging on to whatever remaining categorical knowledge we have of another culture? Or will be be able to accept a new blending of cultures? It's funny how humans always want to fit in and adapt, yet they want to be unique as well. Take Americans for example, many people take on a title of blank-American. You know, like Arab American, African American, Chinese American. Or often, they wont even add the American. Why? Because they are trying to associate themselves with the culture of that other identity. But why can't they just call themselves American? So when we start taking advancing steps in globalization, will these lines between cultures thicken or dissolve? I believe that regardless of how hard we try, no matter the effort, it is human nature to cling to these ethnic divides. These divides will prevent us for truly embodying the fruits of globalization. 

Is This Real Life? Is This Going to Be Forever?

The market for 3D visuals is currently booming. It seems a though more and more industries are coming out with 3D integrated product and services. The most recognized use of 3D visuals is within the movie industry, as companies like IMAX and RealD offer a unique viewing experience that immerses the audience into the movie. However, new technologies such are developing rapidly, and soon consumers will be able to view 3D images on their handheld devices, their home television screens, and even in the classroom. While 3D is an impressive and captivating technology, my concern is the potential influence this medium can have on society’s perception of reality.

          For example, many critics and researchers believe that playing violent video games as a young child can strongly influence an individual’s perception on violence. They argue that when violence is portrayed in such an entertaining and penalty-free light, gamers’ understanding of the severity of the negative consequences of violence. However, many argue that humans, regardless of age and maturity, have sufficient common sense to differentiate between real life and a video game.

However, what happens when the video game suddenly seems real. While playing a 2D game, regardless of how advanced the graphics are, the brain can easily distinguish the gamer from the game. There is a physical gap between the medium and the audience, allowing the individual to process the difference. However, replacing the 2D medium with a 3D medium erases this physical space, making it more difficult for the gamer to differentiate between the game and reality. So what happens when a 13 year-old boy is so immersed in a 3D game of CoD that he feels as though he is actually firing a real gun, and killing real people? What happens when he continues to get as much enjoyment out of this game, as he did when playing it in 2D, and potentially even a greater sense of entertainment? Finally, what happens when this same boy buys an Airsoft gun off the internet and starts simulating this game with his friends who also bought guns? The subtle progression of steps is more probable than most of us would like to admit, and for us entirely rule out the possibility that a young boy would replace his Airsoft gun with a real gun for a competitive advantage is foolish. Society has reached a point where the line between reality and fantasy is so thin that it is practically non-existent, or at least thin enough that it can easily be ignored.   So how will we keep ourselves from confusing the two? Or perhaps we shouldn’t even bother…

    

(Achoo) Nothing Happens When You Die.

Religion is a medium. Religion says a lot about a person, and it can be interpreted by others in many different ways. Even the absence of religion relays a strong message. I have always found the different responses to religion to be interesting. The views on this seem to be greatly different between age groups, cultures, countries, environments etc. For example, as a kid religion was never really considered. I had friends who had to go to CCD every week and I had other friends who had to go to Hebrew school. The actual beliefs behind the religion were never the focus, and it was seen as an activity that our parents made us do, but at least we had friends with us. In high school, it was pretty much ignored. In college, it is judged, especially at a business school. While everyone is excepting of different religions here, many times the concept of being religious is rejected. It is assumed to conflict with both the common college practices of socializing as well as the capitalistic business mentality.

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On the contrary, within a religious environment, one is judged by how devout he or she is. In addition, in many other countries, a religious outlook on life is not encouraged but expected. However, those who are not religious strike me as the most interesting. Religion, regardless of what it is provides an individual with a meaning for life and a set of rules or guidelines that promise peace of mind. I have yet to figure out how one can go through life that has no overarching meaning. An individual who does this only has dreams and goals that end before death, after which they vanish. This is the message that I cannot read.