Everyone's favorite grump will take any opportunity to publicly air his grievances about technology. But in this case he goes on to offer alternatives to the lifestyle he condemns, and arrives at a sunny conclusion about human nature.
The author says that contemporary culture involves constantly exposing oneself and one's opinions to the scrutiny of others, and that this fact lends itself to a flattening of character. Because we're exposed and fear rejection, we tend to make an attempt to be broadly liked, rather than committing fully and honestly to a handful of things that we love. This observation is made literal by Facebook's "like" button.
The author touches on his (often joked about) love of birds and how his devotion to one thing gave a depth to his more general passions, like environmentalism.
Notable quote: "When you stay in your room and rage or sneer or shrug your shoulders, as I did for many years, the world and its problems are impossibly daunting. But when you go out and put yourself in real relation to real people, or even just real animals, there’s a very real danger that you might love some of them."
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The author says that contemporary culture involves constantly exposing oneself and one's opinions to the scrutiny of others, and that this fact lends itself to a flattening of character. Because we're exposed and fear rejection, we tend to make an attempt to be broadly liked, rather than committing fully and honestly to a handful of things that we love. This observation is made literal by Facebook's "like" button.
The author touches on his (often joked about) love of birds and how his devotion to one thing gave a depth to his more general passions, like environmentalism.
Notable quote: "When you stay in your room and rage or sneer or shrug your shoulders, as I did for many years, the world and its problems are impossibly daunting. But when you go out and put yourself in real relation to real people, or even just real animals, there’s a very real danger that you might love some of them."
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