Technology and Isolation.

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Technology and Isolation

        Technology is all around us.  No matter which direction you turn, you cannot escape the intrusion of technology into your life.  From indoor plumbing to the Internet, technology has greatly enhanced and improved our day-to-day lives, yet all of these improvements have not come without cost.  It can be argued that as technology continues to develop the risk of individual isolation continues to develop as well.

        Paul Virilio wrote, “Every technology produces, provokes, programs a specific accident… The invention of the boat was the invention of shipwrecks.  The invention of the steam engine and the locomotive was the invention of derailments.  The invention of the highways was the invention of three hundred cars colliding in five minutes.  The invention of the airplane was the invention of the plane crash.  I believe that from now on, if we wish to continue with technology (and I don’t thing there will be a Neolithic regression), we must think about both the substance and the accident…” These few words sum up the very need to come to the realization that isolation is becoming an unintended risk as technology advances.  In his book, “The Rise of The Creative Class”, Richard Florida states; “In virtually every aspect of life, weak ties have replaced the stronger bonds that once gave structure to society . . .. Instead of communities defined by close associations and deep commitments to family, friends, and organizations, we seek places where we can make friends and acquaintances easily and live quasi-anonymous lives.”

        For the purposes of exploring this argument, this paper will be looking at four separate examples of how technology has begun to isolate individuals from one another.  First, we will examine the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder, next we will move on to the Amana Colonies, and then we will take a trip to Japan and finally end our tour in Greece. At each stop, we will compare a historical society to a present day society and prove that the risk of isolation is growing more pervasive with each technological advance.

Pioneer Life

Perhaps the greatest example of togetherness while faced with isolation can be found in the Pioneers of this country and other countries.  During the time of the pioneers, those who chose to explore the uncivilized reaches of this country found themselves relying solely on their family for support.  A case in point is the family of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Laura’s family life ranged from living in the “Big Woods” near Pepin, Wisconsin to the unsettled prairies in Indian country in the Midwest.  The family did everything together.  They worked, played, and ate together.  The girls were made to help with chores in the house from a young age, and once they were older were made to help with chores on the various farms where they lived.  Typical chores that were done during the day might include: washing (done in a tub), mending, tending the garden, churning butter, gathering wood, baking, ironing, and general housecleaning.  To divide up the labor so none of it was overwhelming, Mrs. Ingalls had a saying, “Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday, Mend on Wednesday, Churn on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday, Rest on Sunday.”During this time, technology was advancing with things such as the invention of the thresher.  During the fall, the settlers hired people who owned threshers to come and separate the grain from the wheat leaving bundles of straw.  This was done using horses to power the machine.  Without this technological marvel of the age, it would have taken the settlers weeks to thresh the grain.  However, the lack of technology aided the family in keeping the kind of close relationships with one another that are so often lacking today.  The extended families would come together to help with the harvests, the butchering, and for maple syrup time.  During this time, everyone would help one another and there would be much food, drink, and socialization.  In today’s world, where we have every modern convenience and do not have to churn butter, or sew our own clothes, or even grow our own food, we see less of our families than during an era when performing those chores were key to their very survival.  

        Once the Ingalls family moved to De Smet they spent their winters in town, instead of out on their claim.  During these winter months, the towns began to hold dime socials, began a literary society, and have revival meetings minstrel shows.  For these events, the entire town turned out and people generally lingered to talk.  During this era, every neighbor knew every other neighbor and all were concerned as to how the other neighbors were doing.  Doctors made house calls during this time as well, leading the doctor to truly be in touch with their patients and honestly know how and what to prescribe or not prescribe to their patients.  The life of the pioneers was hard, however these people seemed to be truly satisfied with their lives and seemed to gain strength from the sense of community and family that they felt around them.  Even during the times when they were totally isolated from all others, the family remained a tight-knit group.  In fact, the community was so close that during a long winter full of blizzards when the train could not bring fresh supplies, two of the townsmen rode off into the prairie in search of a homesteader that was rumored to have grain.  The two found the settler, brought the grain back, at great personal risk, just to save the townsfolk from starvation.

        Today, things have changed in many ways.  Technology has brought an increasing ease to the lives of people throughout the Nation.  One stark contrast from pioneer times to today is the fact that families no longer work, eat, and play together on a daily basis.  In today’s world, the evening meal, which had been a time for everyone to sit down and relate the events of their day, is no longer.  With the advent of feminism, women became a driving force in the workplace causing more and more double income families.  This development has had a profound effect on the socialization of the family unit.  Children are taken to daycare nearly all day while one or both parents work outside of the home.  No longer do neighbors go out of their way to help one another and there are very few hardships to overcome of the scale seen in the past.  With the advances in technology, one would think that people would be afforded more time to socialize with others, including those in their own family, however that does not seem to be the case.  

The Amana Colonies

The group Community of True Inspiration was founded in 1714 in Germany.  In 1842 they moved to the “New World”, what is known as present day Buffalo New York.  In late 1854 to early 1855 this group moved to The Iowa River Valley in escape from religious persecution.  The location where they settled is now called the Amana Colonies.  There are many different controversies over what religious group the Community of True Inspirations was, some say that they were Christians, others say Lutherans, and another article says that they were Amanities (not Amish).

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The word Amana means, “remain true” or “believe faithfully.”  That is exactly what they did.  They stated true to their roots and background.  When they landed in the Iowa River Valley their villages were platted in the German-style that they used back in Germany.  This included the barns and sheds at one end of a long street, factories and workshops at the other end.  There were a total of seven of these villages set up naming them in no-frills fashion.  Much like they used to live in Germany.  These seven villages were Homestead, Amana, East, High, Middle, South and West ...

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