I read Fahrenheit 451 again a month ago and it was much more relatable than the first time I read it.
The pattern of going from point A to B and being told to do that by someone or something as quickly as possible is the norm. If you have a demanding job and a family at the end of most days it’s easy to tune out and only have the desire to feel comfortable. You’ve been exhausting yourself to be ‘accepted’ by society.
Thinking for yourself and finding moments to do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted was dangerous in Fahrenheit 451. I think that is becoming very real nowadays. If you told someone you went for a walk aimlessly in a park and stared at flowers for 20 minutes with your phone turned off you could be viewed as a social deviant to some degree. Your wife or girlfriend might be upset because they couldn’t get ahold of you. A friend or coworker might be frustrated because they needed to tell you something that “couldn’t wait”.
That’s where the danger lies. Society dictating how you think and how you should feel all the time. Technology is only a tool that makes it more efficient.
During the Summer of Love thousands of people just up and left their lives to spend a summer doing whatever they wanted. The only way they could be reached was by telephone or letter and that was if they wanted to be contacted. I honesty don’t think a movement like that or an era like the 60s is possible anymore. People are too attached to their phones and what society expects out of them.
I knew someone who’s former partner called him a narcissist solely because he’d randomly walk places or go to different coffee shops depending on if one was busy, or if one was just near a park where he wanted to exercise etc. She believed this after watching a YouTube video titled “narcissists live in the moment.” Strange times for a person to be called that when all they want to do is have a human moment outside of online connection and algorithms.
Society needs dopamine detox days as much as we need holidays.
I believe this has a lot to do with the reduction of the middle class. The amount of people who can afford to go even two months with no form of income in the United States is extremely low
The pattern of going from point A to B and being told to do that by someone or something as quickly as possible is the norm. If you have a demanding job and a family at the end of most days it’s easy to tune out and only have the desire to feel comfortable. You’ve been exhausting yourself to be ‘accepted’ by society.
Thinking for yourself and finding moments to do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted was dangerous in Fahrenheit 451. I think that is becoming very real nowadays. If you told someone you went for a walk aimlessly in a park and stared at flowers for 20 minutes with your phone turned off you could be viewed as a social deviant to some degree. Your wife or girlfriend might be upset because they couldn’t get ahold of you. A friend or coworker might be frustrated because they needed to tell you something that “couldn’t wait”.
That’s where the danger lies. Society dictating how you think and how you should feel all the time. Technology is only a tool that makes it more efficient.
During the Summer of Love thousands of people just up and left their lives to spend a summer doing whatever they wanted. The only way they could be reached was by telephone or letter and that was if they wanted to be contacted. I honesty don’t think a movement like that or an era like the 60s is possible anymore. People are too attached to their phones and what society expects out of them.