Dear Santa,
I have been very good this year (and also very well, I hope you can say the same). It’s been a long year, and though it has been trying at times, it has also been a very good year. Throughout the ups and downs, however, my behavior has been consistently good, and so I hope you will reward me for it.
Now to the crux of my letter: my wish list. It is rather unorthodox this year -- it consists of only one item, and that item is not so much a concrete object as it is an abstract concept. Giving someone an idea for Christmas might present a problem for an ordinary person. I am sure, however, that you, who so easily delivers countless presents across the globe in a single night, can use your magic to grant me one simple wish.
What is this wish? As I said, it is simple. No, that is a misnomer - my wish is simplicity, or, more specifically, society’s return to it.
Too often these days, simplicity is scorned, when in fact it is a virtue, one missing from most people’s lives. With the advent of technology, our lives have grown progressively more complicated, culminating with the rise to prominence of the Internet. Things that were intended to bring us convenience have instead brought us more stress. The Computer Age, rather than simplifying our lives, has made them far more complicated.
Take as evidence of this fact the writing of this very letter. Does the word processor on which I am writing it make editing simpler than the typewriter I would have used in earlier, more simple times? Yes. However, it also opens a Pandora’s box of distractions. There is a horde of people wishing to communicate with me via instant messenger. I am constantly interrupted by a plethora of pop-up windows trying to sell me something, warning me of the latest threat to my computer, or offering me a prize if I knock out President Bush. I am frequently distracted by the opportunity for endless amounts of free music. If one is on a computer and not multitasking, one is trained to feel worthless, and as such, one can never focus entirely on one task.
And what of that oracle of modern society, the cellular telephone? O, damnable paradox! Much like women, they are impossible to live with and impossible to live without. The average teenager, when his parents first bestow upon him the “gift” of a cell phone, is thrilled. He soon realizes, however, that his parents had their own, selfish reasons for giving him a cell phone - so they could have a nigh-Orwellian knowledge of his actions. He is expected to call them every ten minutes, and for every time he forgets to call, he is bombarded with countless frantic voicemails from a worried mother and a most upset father.
But that is not the end of it. Sure, it is nice to be able to get in touch with people whenever and wherever you want; however, it is a double-edged sword. What most people, blinded by the initial appeal of the cell phone, fail to realize is that the “anytime, anywhere” thing goes both ways. Soon they realize that the only people who seem to be calling are those annoying acquaintances they don’t really want to talk to anyway -- and of course, they call only at the most inconvenient of times. Not to mention, cell phones are the bane of school officials everywhere, as every buffoon in possession of one seems to feel the need to parade it around during class. I hope for your sake, Santa, that your elves don’t give you such trouble.
However, we cannot place all the blame with technology. Society as a whole has been trained to look upon simplicity with contempt. Nature, practically revered in the days of Emerson and the transcendentalists, is seen now only as an impediment to progress. Gone are the days where a man could sit and contemplate the world. Such a man would be shunned and labeled insane today, whereas when Thoreau did it, he was looked upon as a luminary. Artistic achievement is no longer respected; in today’s world, people are judged solely on the size of their paycheck, not on whether or not they contribute anything to society.
Indeed, from our school days, we are trained to believe that results are everything. Who cares if you learn anything from a class, as long as you get an A on the final exam? Who cares if you have to sacrifice your principles to get a job, as long as it pays well?
So all I ask, Santa, is that you cure society of this dilemma. But if that’s too much, I wouldn’t mind having an Xbox 360.
Sincerely,
Wesley Burton
P.S. THIS is the Santa I'm writing to.
Now to the crux of my letter: my wish list. It is rather unorthodox this year -- it consists of only one item, and that item is not so much a concrete object as it is an abstract concept. Giving someone an idea for Christmas might present a problem for an ordinary person. I am sure, however, that you, who so easily delivers countless presents across the globe in a single night, can use your magic to grant me one simple wish.
What is this wish? As I said, it is simple. No, that is a misnomer - my wish is simplicity, or, more specifically, society’s return to it.
Too often these days, simplicity is scorned, when in fact it is a virtue, one missing from most people’s lives. With the advent of technology, our lives have grown progressively more complicated, culminating with the rise to prominence of the Internet. Things that were intended to bring us convenience have instead brought us more stress. The Computer Age, rather than simplifying our lives, has made them far more complicated.
Take as evidence of this fact the writing of this very letter. Does the word processor on which I am writing it make editing simpler than the typewriter I would have used in earlier, more simple times? Yes. However, it also opens a Pandora’s box of distractions. There is a horde of people wishing to communicate with me via instant messenger. I am constantly interrupted by a plethora of pop-up windows trying to sell me something, warning me of the latest threat to my computer, or offering me a prize if I knock out President Bush. I am frequently distracted by the opportunity for endless amounts of free music. If one is on a computer and not multitasking, one is trained to feel worthless, and as such, one can never focus entirely on one task.
And what of that oracle of modern society, the cellular telephone? O, damnable paradox! Much like women, they are impossible to live with and impossible to live without. The average teenager, when his parents first bestow upon him the “gift” of a cell phone, is thrilled. He soon realizes, however, that his parents had their own, selfish reasons for giving him a cell phone - so they could have a nigh-Orwellian knowledge of his actions. He is expected to call them every ten minutes, and for every time he forgets to call, he is bombarded with countless frantic voicemails from a worried mother and a most upset father.
But that is not the end of it. Sure, it is nice to be able to get in touch with people whenever and wherever you want; however, it is a double-edged sword. What most people, blinded by the initial appeal of the cell phone, fail to realize is that the “anytime, anywhere” thing goes both ways. Soon they realize that the only people who seem to be calling are those annoying acquaintances they don’t really want to talk to anyway -- and of course, they call only at the most inconvenient of times. Not to mention, cell phones are the bane of school officials everywhere, as every buffoon in possession of one seems to feel the need to parade it around during class. I hope for your sake, Santa, that your elves don’t give you such trouble.
However, we cannot place all the blame with technology. Society as a whole has been trained to look upon simplicity with contempt. Nature, practically revered in the days of Emerson and the transcendentalists, is seen now only as an impediment to progress. Gone are the days where a man could sit and contemplate the world. Such a man would be shunned and labeled insane today, whereas when Thoreau did it, he was looked upon as a luminary. Artistic achievement is no longer respected; in today’s world, people are judged solely on the size of their paycheck, not on whether or not they contribute anything to society.
Indeed, from our school days, we are trained to believe that results are everything. Who cares if you learn anything from a class, as long as you get an A on the final exam? Who cares if you have to sacrifice your principles to get a job, as long as it pays well?
So all I ask, Santa, is that you cure society of this dilemma. But if that’s too much, I wouldn’t mind having an Xbox 360.
Sincerely,
Wesley Burton
P.S. THIS is the Santa I'm writing to.
