Is Bradbury Right?

Over fifty years after his book was published, do you think Bradbury was right?  Has television and the Internet destroyed Americans' ability to read and think critically about ideas?  Could we be heading toward a time when the authorities burn books for our own good, and the population allows it to happen?

Bradbury was as dead on as he possibly could have been. Technology has been an instrument that has destroyed reading and the internet has helped in erasing originality along with critical thinking and someday yes; books may seem more of a nuisance than a learning utensil. Our society has thrown away thought for convenience.

            Reading used to be the media used to influence thought and imagination. People used to pick up a book and drift into their minds to a place they had never been before. Today movies are the main source of this drifting but there is no need for constructive imagination because you get to see the characters on the screen in front of your face and the setting is obvious. When reading a book you have to envision these characters and envision the setting for yourself and the reading is what causes your mind to play out the plot inside your head however you would like. This is why most everyone who sees a movie that was once a book they read they say that the book was way better than the movie. You cannot put into a movie what the mind can envision in its imagination! No actor can play the emotions your mind can construct. The internet is also destroying our society’s originality.

            What is the need for paperback books when you can get anything on the internet? You don’t need to read stories because you can watch shows and movies on your television or computer? No longer is critical thinking necessary because Google will tell you how to complete just about any task and if not you can ask ask.com and someone will know. The internet is making it where you can play instruments without the instrument you just need the software. You don’t have to be able to sing because auto tune will make anyone sound good. Originality is dying and taking imagination with him. We would rather have everything be convenient than having to work for anything.
            Why figure something out when you can Google it? Why walk when you can drive? Why play the six string guitar when you can make songs on a Mac program? Why read a book when you can watch a movie. Simple, is the key to today’s society. If your not selling simple than no one will buy. If your not selling bottled imagination, than no one will buy your product. The simple and sad fact is that technology is bringing on a new kind of society, a hybrid that wants easy and not difficult to be its theme. Sweat is no longer needed to get the job done.

            Eventually books as hard copies may be burned. Their remnants will be on Ibooks and laptops ready to be read off a screen. Paper will be used as a fuel and reading will now blur your vision and imagination will become a myth told by today’s kindergarteners too their children.

Discomfort with multiple possibilities

Many people are scared. Many people fear the unknown and the possibility of an unanswered question. Another fear is that a question may not have a definitive answer or possibly multiple conclusions or explanations. When something needs to be solved or fixed it is great when there is a single and exploitable solution and that is comfortable. Now when something needs fixed and there is no answer or the solution is going to take many steps people start t freak out and think, what if there is no solution.

 If you look at the current recession in our country, in the beginning the single apparent solution to most was the Obama bill. The bill was supposed to bail out what needed bailed and put money where necessary which would in turn fix our money problems. It has done essentially nothing of what it promised and even Obama’s faithful today are losing trust because the problem is still an issue and that scares our entire society. Our country is built on solids, when you watch the news they have every suspect, every murderer and every rapist known and the details to every crime are known down to the smallest.

 Issues have to have solutions in this country because from birth in the United States you are taught that you can always fix a problem. As a young child I was always taught that if I had a problem, careful thought and evaluation could eventually help me find a solution. As I grow in age and maturity I have realized that some things have no explanation and I will have to wait till I die to hopefully find answers. The truth is you can’t solve everything and having something you have been taught from birth unravel is discomforting.

          Many problems are fixable but take time and different steps. People are not as a whole patient and when something is not fixed right away they start to wonder if it will ever be fixed. From the recession taking place right now to the flat tire you get on the highway tomorrow, more than likely you will have to take steps and a great deal of thought to solve the problem so relax and figure it out.