Better than a display, aye?
Since the very appearance of the hellish net, all sorts of hungry, teeth grinding, wild rats, who initially belonged to the depths of the dungeons, have undeservedly found snug burrows, have formed the villages of snug burrows which in their turn formed the countries full of them. These are the countries where every perverse-minded, foolishly pathetic rat finds the likes and its own corner.
This hellish net is better known as the Internet. As everything genial, the internet is bound to do as much damage as it does good, if not much more. More than that I’m convinced that the internet has done the biggest damage that has ever been done to society. The society itself was the one and only engine of the humankind’s evolution, since the immemorial times it has contributed into the development of an individual. But now the internet impersonates all the main regulatory bodies, has a massive impact on almost all spheres of our life and is the most respected judge for, especially, younger generations.
Whatever perverse and rotten thing you might be interested in finding of – you are welcome, Google will do it for you. Any kind of behaviour that would have led you to prison a couple of decades ago, now is appreciated in numerous groups and communities all over the net. The worst things that should be condemned by society are now basically considered normal and thus able to change the society itself. The internet, to my mind, threatens the foundations of morals.
In no way, shape or form I’m trying to minimize all those numerous virtues of the internet. Without any doubts it makes our lives easier and gives us whole lot of possibilities… but! But I think it is the greatest and the worst virus ever. The more information is open to us, the more unnecessary information we get. It kills our lives and makes them shorter if not treated correctly.
Sometimes it might seem to us that it makes time stop but in fact it just makes time fly even faster. So fast that we can’t notice the movement. I’m afraid even to think how many books I would have been able to read if I hadn’t been under the spell of the net. How many fascinating things I could have got to know if I had not just been busy reloading the pages.It requires a great will power to use the internet correctly since its purpose has been forgotten for ever. Different social networks is one of the best and the worst things that could have been ever invented. They were not supposed to waste our time but they do. It is a problem that cannot be solved.
The internet. Disease. In my imagination it is a lantern that casts shadow. The worst present from Paradise, the best one from Hell.
Why am I posting it here? It is one of the main reasons that prevent me from turning my existence into life.
Cheers for reading.
Creating Life Out of Existence 
You’ve got a thnking man’s ambivalence. Do you think that there were folk who felt the same about Gutenberg, the Bible and that darn press?
I do think so. But there’s no point in writing about that now… Here I am speaking about things that I’m worried about, those that disturb ME.
All you have written is true. Internet is great thing itself but it has let the dark side of humanity stop being deeply hidden. Hate, anger, laziness had always been here but now they can be publicly shown and transmitted to the world. I try to use internet carefully and don’t let myself be sucked inside this whirlpool of madness. I buy CD’s to listen to the music and I read paper books. Both ordered through online stores… That’s how I try to reach the balance. But I’m scared to think what the next generations will be like.
Recent picture: few girls, 14-15 years of age, sitting together by the table in a coffee shop. Each of them with opened noteboook before her eyes “networking” in Facebook. From time to time they take short brakes to check their mobiles. They don’t say a word. Fade to black.
Sorry for so long a comment,
Greetings from Poland
Aye, mate, so true.
Once you’ve been told about one’s vice, you are basically not emberresed to not hide your own and gradually it is bacoming ‘not vice’. It’s becoming something you don’t bother fighting against.
And greetings from Ukraine.
There always are people complaining about decline of morality, utterly terrified of what the next generation will look like. I have read there are cultural fossils indicating that this was the case for every culture predating ours way back to the days of the Babylon and apparently, even before that.
It is hard for me to understand why are you alarmed by people enjoying life in ways which are different from yours.
By the way, do you want to see comments as an indicator that people read your blog (hi, I do) or are you genuinely interested in a civilized discussion (that sometimes involves people not agreeing with you)?
Greetings from… oh who am I kidding.
P.S. You want to meet for a cup of coffee this Monday?
Paul, course I’m interested in civilized discussions, there’s ‘likes’ as an indicator.
Not sure I’ve got time – the second semester begins.
Cheers for commenting.
Okay.
I think this video may be somehow relevant to our discussion.
Apparently ye got me wrong. What I basically mean is rather to be compared with that young lad playing with his ‘smaller’ stone while the rest of his tribe are hunting in order to have sth to eat.
Oh, I was only joking.
Hi there…thank you for the visit.
I have to disagree….mostly.
I love the internet but I do agree, it can take over your life.
I guess it is like most things in life…everything in moderation!
Cheers, every opinion is appreciated, that’s one of the reasons why I’m here – exchanging ideas and opinions.
I think you make many valid points about the internet–and being a time-waster is indeed one that I’m more and more aware of all the time. I open up my laptop or iPad and before i know it an hour or two has passed….nothing else done but being online (like now, for instance). But it is also a great way to meet new people that I would otherwise never have the opportunity to run into, and for that I am thankful to the internet…now, the seediness and degenerate behavior that abounds and is likely made easier because of the net…I wish I knew how to do something about that.
Great post!
That’s just it Rabbie, when you look at things, there are often things out there that are very wrong, it’s very understanding as to why such wrong exists, even when it comes to a time when Socialism starts dictating who can see what. I think it’s good to have that freedom to see what you want, at the same time, I do believe in certain circumstances, what was regarded against the law, should be destroyed. As you said, it’s virus in it’s own right, there are good things about the internet and bad things, no one controls the internet, and that is one of the beautiful things about it. On the other hand, the negatives as explained, those certain sites that exist. It’s time consuming for sure, but without it, I don’t think I’d be the same, although it would help me be fitter as I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.
The internet is a vast cornerstone for such wonderful information, much to learn from, but the social networking sites, mostly media.
Again, well said 🙂
Scott
Thanks for following mate
I love reading your blog. You write very well and wise. Every point hits the eye. Will follow you (:
The internet rocks, but like anything it can be a dark and dangerous place. Good post.
!!!!! Disculpa por retraso)
wish i could be so good in writing 🙂 (ps thank you)
Agreed internet consumes most of our free time as you explained through few examples but Robert, it totally depends on a person, so for example when you say that you missed out on reading books because you were surfing the net, then it’s totally up to you to stop it and go and read some books, you can’t blame the internet for that… (or better, read an ebook ;))
Internet, as per me has been the greatest invention of mankind, it has made our daily lives so convenient, if it wasn’t for it you would still have to be dependent on snail mail, you’d still have to rush to the local library to get some info which is now at your fingertips. If it wasn’t for the internet, countries like Egypt and Tunisia would still be ruled by dictators, you see there can be numerous such examples!
And most importantly you’d not have this blog… 🙂
It takes an awful long time to bang out a blog on a cave wall.
Wow! You have my mind reeling….I agree in many regards and disagree in others….so well written by you though and thank you for your boldness and observations. Hmmmm…you have me a bit speechless and this will certainly be something I will be contemplating in my mind…for days to come????…no, for always. Thanks!
Cheers Amalia.
It’s a magnifying mirror held up to your Id. If you’re a pervert, it only amplifies that. If you’re a knowledge seeker, you’ll only get smarter. If you think you’re spending too much time online and not enough living life, you probably are. Those are minutes, hours you can’t get back. Remember it’s only a tool that you control.
Well-said. It is one of those vices/virtues that it may be better to live without, but somehow continues to make us feel like we are better to stay with it…dilemma. But the good thing is (I like staying positive) that one can find interesting ideas written by interesting people.
I used to write, I used to write letters, I used to sign my name, I used to sleep at night Before the flashing lights settled deep in my brain
Arcade Fire
About a week ago, before reading this post, I thought to mself: I definitely read less books than I would if there were no Internet. I love to lie in a hammock with a good book and always have something that I’m reading but after reading your post I’m gonna set my novel reading goals a bit higher.
As a full-time traveler the Interenet helps me immensely. It enables me to keep in touch with people via skype and email. I can also keep track of limited finances and play live scrabble with people all over the world. But, to me, the best thing about the web is that I get to blog. 🙂 Horray for the Internet.
Keep writing man!
I’m impressed with your insight. For many this has become their life…the fantasy they searched for has become their reality.
Well, that’s how life goes – internet is changing us and not always for better. But I don’t think it’s because of technology, or the net as you call it – it’s all about us in the end. We can use it for good or for bad, we can make it to be helping us or we can allow it to consume us. It is hard to find and keep the balance but that’s our job – we need to do it with so many things in life already including the most basic needs like food or sex and more complicated like alcohol or drugs. Let’s keep the positive spirit and think more on what is good and what’s bad for us and I’m sure everything will be allright.
Cheers.
I am blind and use screen reading software (Jaws) which converts text into speech and braille enabling me to use my computer and, of course access the internet. I do not have sight so can not read hard copy printed material, however I can read (or listen to) ebooks using the internet. Print books, in a library are, unfortunately not an option for me but I can look up information on Wikapeidia or other online reference sites.
The internet is neither good nor bad, it all depends on how one uses it.
Best, Kevin
Excellent post. I agree, heartily. Thank you for “liking” one of my posts…it helped me to find your blog…I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read thus far.
Cheers,
Izzy
I sometimes think that, more than anything else, the internet provides a forum for fifteen year old racists to anonymously piss people off.
Yes, as a happy hypocrite, I (mostly) agree. In fact just last night I was watching a movie from the early eighties – preInternet time (hard to believe so much has changed in so short a span) – and there was a scene in the movie showing all these characters sitting alone in their homes, some were staring out windows, some where pensively sitting on chairs, one was reading a book, and another was turning his light switch on and off. I turned to my wife and said, “That’s what life was like before the internet” – if the same movie were made today it would have a scene with someone surfing the web, a couple watching online t.v., a teen playing internet video games,,, you get my point…
Great reply, thanks indeed.
I agree with you. I like the part, the lantern that casts a shadow, great imagery.
Although I am sitting here, letting life zoom past, while I gaze at my screen, I’ve really enjoyed your beautiful prose. Now I’m going to switch off and read a book!