Whilst skimming through AOL headlines (yes, I still use AOL, thank you), I came across an article to "finally get rid of all those old photos lying around". It was more of an advertisement really, but AOL likes to make those look like legitimate articles to fool us dumb folk. With a new, state of the art scanner you too can get rid of all those tangible memories you have stored around the house and condense years (perhaps even decades) into a file on your hard drive. Of course, once you get it there you'll realize that it takes up too much space and you will then be motivated, perhaps by another "article", to save that file to an external hard drive or flash drive.
This idea of being bothered by the physicality of life is beginning to weigh on me (ironically, it's a metaphoric weight, not a palpable one). The question that keeps coming to mind is: what is so wrong with concrete, tactile life? What is this insatiable need to digitize all aspects of life from memories to music to friendships? We click to view Grandma's 90th birthday like we click to view the latest status update. I am not anti-technology (obviously because I am typing my thoughts to post online), but I am opposed to technology as type of prison. I am opposed to my entire life being on laptop. I am opposed to managing friendships like I manage my banking. I am opposed to virtual tours replacing actual experiences.
I like rummaging through my old photo albums. Shoe boxes full of friends and family smiling and laughing and posing and living: this I love. I love the fact that these things take up space in my closet, on my bookshelves, and on my walls. I love the fact that these sentimentalities and memories have a physical demand of space, a reminder that I need to make emotional space in my life for the things that are truly important.
We have multiple senses, shouldn't we enlist as many as possible to enjoy the precious, irreplaceable things in life? Am I the only one that longs for stacks of photos, CD's, books (don't even get me started on electronic books), and handwritten cards?
