Internal Soundtracks

When mp3 players hit the market, columnists and commentators flooded media outlets with interest pieces.
One article that stuck in my mind referred to how users with personal soundtracks were distancing themselves from normal environments, therefore not experiencing life.
Surely this is the point of mp3 players, its escapism with a mix tape. Walking to work while being at a concert so to speak makes the activity half bearable.

Unfortunately not all situations lend themselves to escapism. Grandma visiting, at lectures and performances isn't the greatest time to put your earphones on. You're there to experience something rather than escape it.
In manufactured environments like supermarkets and retail, they provide a selected soundtrack to encourage customers to linger, so an mp3 player isn't essential.

But it has become a addiction for some, a daily coping mechanism and is the ultimate 'don't talk to me' sign.

Recently I saw a mature retail customer only take out her headphones to deliver an instruction to staff before replacing her headphones.
Maybe she was tired of interacting in general but still it almost devalues a sales assistant, making them a means to the end rather than an actual person.

Life seems to be a continual flow of interaction with others, it reminds me of a row of ants who seem to communicate with every ant coming in their opposite direction. It pains me to say hello to every person on a walking track but it has to be done to remain half polite.

I wonder if headphones are really limiting our experience of the world or are they a necessity to cope with the daily grind of people, situations and activities?

Earth Hour

Last Saturday, Earth Hour was the main topic of conversation in the media. Radio, TV, print and the web had been urging us for weeks to become 'greenies' for an hour and 'vote earth'.

We celebrated with a candlelit birthday cake and coffee but many homes around us kept their lights blazing. Part of me felt like shouting 'turn your lights off' but we live in the city and community unity is on the wane.

The energy conservation message of the event does appeal but the promotion of it, which snowballed into a trendy bandwagon did not.

When I started high school, I joined 'The Environment Club'. We talked about recycling projects and so forth. In Woodwork, I made a tree shaped money box for its symbolism.
It soon became clear though that individuals can be environmentally friendly but the world isn't going to change to save the planet.

We don't recycle, reuse and reduce for the glory or recognition. In a way, the media jumping on the bandwagon by branding 'green as the new black' almost cheapens an independent movement that prides itself on its anti-establishment stance. Where can it go from here?

Soon this green trend will be discarded to make room for the next fad. Those hoping that Earth Hour has made a lasting impression on the population may have to be content with only an annual swell of support generated by the media.