Epiphany

To begin, I would like to explain the reason for the title. The definition of the word "epiphany," according to Dictionary.com is " a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience." This is exactly what occured that inspired this blog.

For a few days now I have stopped and thought about life instead of watching television or using the computer. Yesterday, I was conversing via text messages with my good friend and fellow peer, Alberto Sparks III, and we began thinking about how we've been acting lately due to the fact that we have recently changed some of our lifestyle because of what Postman made us think about.

We noticed that we have been overreacting about the smallest of situations. We began to consider that maybe Postman was to blame, having a negative effect on our lives, contrary to what we first believed. This conversation escalated to more discussion about what Postman was telling us, and what we really thought about it. This blog is about this conversation exactly. As a matter of fact, I currently have my cell phone in front of me so I can refer to the exact messages as I write this.

Let's think clearly for a second. Who is Postman to say that the "Age of Exposition" was better than the age we are living in now? In my personal perspective, life isn't about who can be the smartest and who can use the biggest words. Life isn't about being as smart as humanly possible. It is about being as happy as humanly possible.

Since when is it bad for a priest or a teacher to be funny? As long as they're teaching what they're supposed to, I don't see why we should look at it negatively if they have a sense of humor.

Since when is it bad to converse via text messages or Myspace? Just because it's a different form of communication does not mean it is bad. It still brings people together that otherwise may not be. For example, I live in La Mirada, but most of my friends live in Lakewood. I don't have the time to go all the way there every day to talk to my friends, but my cell phone and Myspace helps me communicate with them every day. That is a lot better than losing touch. Also, I have a brother who lives in Ecuador. Who says that talking with him on the phone or via the internet is a bad use of technology? Conversations are more special in person, but what if you can't?

Since when is being amused or entertained bad? If you're being entertained it means you're having fun. For me it would not be fun to assist the Lincoln-Douglas debates that lasted approximately seven hours. I would much rather be doing something that is entertaining to me.

To be sincere, we did believe what Postman was talking about at first. His use of highly elongated words made us instantly believe that he was very intelligent and knew exactly what he was talking about. The way in which we wrote made us believe that he was truly thinking outside the box. However, we realized that he was really thinking inside the box. The change that was coming scared him, so he condemned it.

In a way, some of what he said was right. We should not be so chained to television and the internet as to having it influence the way we dress, act, etc. We shouldn't be talking about the latest celebrity scandal because that is truly worthless. However, what's wrong with watching a television show that has a positive message? What's wrong with a movie,such as "The Pursuit of Happyness," that is inspirational?

We also discussed how we've been thinking about certain aspects of our lives instead spending time in front of a screen. However, if we don't necessarily have something important on our mind, this forces us to think about insignificant things. This is really a bigger waste of time and you're not even communicating with anyone, as opposed to being on Myspace or on the phone. It forces you to isolate yourself and basically talk to yourself about insignificant things. This sounds like the type of things crazy people do.

Postman condemns anything that isn't tied to a function in political decision-making. What if we really aren't interested in politics?

Now don't get me wrong; if you enjoy reading and participating in political debates, go for it. However, if you're going to be sitting in a room reading, feeling miserable, then you shouldn't be doing it just because that's what someone else believes is best. If you're doing that, then you're entangled in a bigger web than the one you think you're avoiding.

The Founding Fathers gave us the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Honestly, that's all that really matters.

Mario Ayala