"I had noticed also that Queequeg never consorted at all, or but very little, with the other seamen in the inn. He made no advances whatever; appeared to have no desire to enlarge the circle of his acquaintances. All this struck me as mighty singular; yet, upon second thoughts, there was something almost sublime in it. Here was a man some twenty thousand miles from home, by the way of Cape Horn, that is--which was the only way he could get there--thrown among people as strange to him as though he were in the planet Jupiter; and yet he seemed entirely at his ease; preserving the utmost serenity; content with his own companionship; always equal to himself. Surely this was a touch of fine philosophy; though no doubt he had never heard there was such a thing as that."
In today's world where it seems vital to be connected to each other through our Smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc., could any of us be like Queequeg? Are we content with out own companionship? Are we equal to ourselves? I personally am an introvert, and so I don't always need as much interaction and connection with people than others do. However, I do greatly value connection with others, like family and friends. This class has also taught me about the value of connecting with strangers. There is no doubt that social media and connection through technology serve valuable purposes. But at the same time, I do worry that people are beginning to rely on constant connection with others through technology to avoid deep contemplation about themselves and their life. I know I've done this. I will distract myself with media when I feel depressed, overwhelmed, or find myself unsatisfied with my life in some way.
I decided to do some research about this tendency, and I found something interesting on the American Psychological Association website that relates well to the above Moby Dick quote.
"It’s a great psychological truth that if we don’t teach our children how to be alone, they will always be lonely. When they’re always connected, children, adolescents and adults become dependent on the presence of others for validation in the most basic ways . . . Rather, other people are used, as what one might think of as part objects — spare parts to support a fragile self."
We've talked a lot of about social proof in this class, which is valuable and necessary for academia and other projects or trains of thought we undertake. But I think it would be sad to live in a society where we need social proof about our own self-worth. Will we only feel good about ourselves and be confident in our own ideas unless we get positive feedback from X amount of people or get X amount of likes on Facebook? There really is a beauty in being satisfied and confident with who we are and in enjoying spending time with ourselves. This is part of the beauty Ishmael sees in Queequeg. Ishmael calls this trait about Queequeg "a touch of fine philosophy."
I searched Google+ for more insight about this topic. I found this image.
Although this quote is from a comedian, it brings up an interesting philosophical issue. Is the ability to "just sit there" to just be a defining feature of what it means to be a human being? Be is contained in the word "being" after all. I think the capability to have internal peace and an "utmost serenity" as Ishmael puts it is an important aspect of what it means to be human. It speaks to a sense of self-mastery and disciplined contemplation that makes human beings capable of great things. Look at all of the rich insights that the character Ishmael comes to from his own contemplation and observations. Perhaps he would have come to greater truths with more networking and social interaction, who knows? But we value Ishmael as a narrator and give him credibility because of his reflective prowess. The journey through Moby Dick would not have been the same from a third person point of view where we read dialogues among characters and see all of their social interactions. Ishmael's own contemplations about other characters and the world around him add a thought-provoking personality to Moby Dick. Ishmael is able to come to these thoughts because he is on a lonely ship, isolated from towns and cities of people. His solitude shapes the story.
With constant connection, we can forget about the importance of solitude and contemplation. I've talked with friends and family about this topic. One of my family members is a hard worker and thoroughly enjoys being busy. Sometimes they are so good at being busy that they don't take time to reconnect with themselves and evaluate whether they are truly happy. I have also done this as well. There are times when I just don't want to sit alone and meditate on my life, but when I do take time to contemplate, I never regret it. We lead busy demanding lives, and it is rare that we have the opportunity to just do nothing. But in this digital age it is important to remember that disconnecting from media can mean reconnecting with ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment