A new Pew Research Center study reveal that on any given day 53% of young people aged 18-29 say they go online for no identifiable reason except to have fun or pass time. This significant percentage was not limited to the younger generations, in fact 37% of adults aged 30-49 and 27% of those aged 50-74 do the same.
We are undeniably social animals, driven to interact with the world around us. The internet affords us a spectator’s seat from which we can view any corner of the earth, instantly, cheaply and effortlessly, especially when compared to the time, expense and energy required to see the world in person.
The internet rose from obscurity to ubiquity in just a quarter of a century, and is now arguably one of the key cultural and economic forces of the 21st century. On par with the discovery of electricity or the inventions of the telephone, the car and the airplane, the internet has the potential to amplify human achievement in ways, well, unimaginable.
That said, I have to wonder if the assumption that greater human achievement will ever placate the underlying sense that we, as a race, as one body, are meant to be doing something more purposeful, more unified and more deeply relevant. We are driven to master the world around us, but I often wonder if we are so driven because we are desperately trying to restore a sense of something missing, say, a purpose that we as a race used to render to the earth, rather than simply being compelled to achieve because that’s our nature.
Numerous ancient records from around the world tell of a time where mankind understood the difference between dominion and domination. We, according to these ancient stories, embraced the former and did not resort to the latter until the situation had devolved to the point where no other option seemed workable. While I cannot attest to the veracity of these tales, I am not so fanatically bound to contemporary prejudices shaped by science, religion and the like as to dismiss them outright.
What if this drive to achieve, to do better, to create more had its genesis in the desire to restore a state that once was rather than to build a state that is yet to be? It would be humbling, for starters, for we wouldn’t be so proud of ourselves, so quick to pat ourselves on the back when we discover something supposedly new or so blind to the lessons of the past.
The goal, to be clear, would not be to recreate something that was, for perfection is not a static state, it is dynamic and fluid and just as in an imperfect world, no two moments would ever be the same. How to get there, of course, has been the question of the ages. Religion and science have dominated the race, but both have become institutions handicapped by self-preservation that are run by men and women whose subjection to human nature frequently and unfortunately corrupts the purity of the mission.
Now that the access to the body of the knowledge we’ve amassed (or reassembled?) is becoming available to unprecedented numbers of people around the earth, making man’s attempt to master the world around him a three party race, I have to wonder if knowledge will continue to be power, or if we will soon discover that it is just another bottomless pit that distracts us from our true purpose.
Time will tell.
Gregory Hake 
If this means of connection and access to information be utilized most creatively, it would be safe to assume that just a few could initiate a swift movement in the right direction, or towards returning to the state with which the hearts of millions has yearned for centuries. What our forefathers would have given for such a forum through which to lead their people safely across the chasm of no-mans land into the promised land.
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I wonder if the drive to achieve were channeled into something different, for example, to be a better person (kinder, more perceptive, caring, appreciative, forgiving, gracious) if that sense of emptiness could be replaced by a true fulfillment that could relate more to that original purpose you mentioned. If you’ve ever been close to anyone with health issues (whether yourself, a friend or family), and you really care about them, that drive to achieve for oneself disappears like a sand castle under the waves of the beach. This doesn’t mean achievement isn’t beautiful or necessary. It is. But, the question I would ask is, “Why”? What is the purpose of that achievement? Is it to fill an empty spot, complete a personal mission or is it to create for the greater good of mankind?
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A child growing up in the 1950’s in the US typically had the view that given just a little more time and a little more science, all human problems would soon be ended. That generation hit a wall of disillusionment sometime in the late 1960’s and subsequent generations have not as easily embraced the fond hope that all would soon be made right by increased knowledge and scientific achievement. Seems that even in spite of the wonders of the internet, we are forced to look elsewhere to satisfy the nagging sense that we as a race have a purpose and a stature far beyond our present condition. Perhaps it has more to do with wisdom than with knowledge. Thanks for your posts. I always appreciate the wisdom of them.
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I think part of the question needs to be why we have the knowledge that we have, and why we are amassing it. It is disheartening (but not surprising) to see that time on the internet is spent for no justifiable reason. I have been guilty of this myself in the past. But in my experience it is also the case that time spent actually seeing the world outside from the diminished experience of the internet is far superior. The internet is a place of few consequences, where you can say things without fear of social, societal, or cultural reprisal, and where you’re less likely to get punched in the face for being a jerk. The other thing the internet does is desensitize its users from the truly shocking things in the world, because they are unfortunately so prevalent.
There is nothing wrong with the information on the internet by itself. It is a good example of a resource that can either be used or abused. What it also can be is a warning of how disgusting humanity can be when societal consequence has been reduced. Knowledge can be power, but as with any power if it is not used by each of us responsibly it will use us and burn us up.
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The remarkable rise of the ‘virtual world’ has allowed mass involvement with unreality to rise to new levels, without question. But what is the real world? How would it appear? How would it be governed? The answers to these questions are clearly beyond the scope of humna imagination at present. There is, however, a persistent memory, not really a memory of the past but more a memory of a different state, different potential, that is right with us, pressing to emerge.
The seeds of a new world are present in the impulse of creativity, in the compulsion to love, in the burning quest for truth, in the laughter, intensity and vibrancy of a fully lived life. Perhaps the ubiquity of the ‘virtual world’ can serve as a contrast so that whatever may be real can stand out and be distinguished!
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I think if knowledge were to be combined with attention to self-control and self-development, we would have a different story where knowledge would not be used to control human beings; it would serve to free the mind and promote self-governance. Furthermore, I really don’t think more knowledge of the facts of the phenomenal world is ever going to help us fully understand the more existential questions about life, the kind of questions you’ve been posing all along. A different kind of science is needed for that, a different kind of religion.
I guess time will tell, I just know I need to do my best day in and day out in applying these ideas in my own world.
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Interesting musing. Anytime an institution or organization’s central purpose becomes self preservation you get the tail wagging the dog. Same goes for mankind. It’s as if we’re in some fight to improve but for what? What is mankinds central purpose. I can not believe in an eternal struggle. Somewhere we lost the knowledge that I suppose was common knowledge as to what we were created to do. I do believe the answer lies within each of us and the more room our higher nature has to express, the more likely the answers will come. This kind of thinking opens the door. Thank you.
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Thoughtful post, certainly worth consideration.
Shocking Pew stats! Wonder how those numbers will change in 5 years??
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