avatarCeline Thrane

Summary

The author reflects on the importance of living in the moment and experiencing life authentically, beyond the need for digital documentation and societal expectations.

Abstract

The article delves into the profound contrast between the ephemeral nature of organic memories and the permanence of digital records. The author, positioned by a window with a view that stirs the senses, contemplates the transient beauty of life's fleeting moments. They challenge the compulsion to capture and share experiences online, suggesting that the essence of life lies in the ineffable emotions and sensations that resist digital packaging. The narrative emphasizes the value of embracing the unpredictable, the imperfect, and the deeply personal, advocating for a life lived intuitively and freely, without the constraints of conformity or the pressure to explain and understand every aspect of existence.

Opinions

  • The author believes that the true value of experiences lies in the moments themselves, which can be more enduring than any photograph or recording.
  • There is a critique of the societal pressure to conform to norms of sharing life events online, implying that this habit may detract from genuine experiences.
  • The article suggests that the most impactful moments in life are those that defy categorization and challenge our understanding, evoking feelings that cannot be articulated.
  • The author expresses a desire to disconnect from the digital world, to live authentically and embrace the imperfections and unpredictability of life.
  • There is an emphasis on the importance of feeling deeply and living without the need for constant validation or the compulsion to document every experience.
  • The text concludes with a defiant stance against the mechanization of life, celebrating the uniquely human capacity to feel and experience the world in all its complexity.

If it isn’t online, did it really happen?

Online Platforms vs Organic Memories.

Julio Pereira-Canon M50-Cork, Ireland

Here I sit, gazing upon the world through a large window framed with pine. The taste of cold coffee enhancing the flashes of fire red, sombre greens and silent pools keeping me company on my journey, If only for a moment. The deep rumbling vibrations grounding my feet, The slight, unpredictable movements seating me for the duration.

My external programming instructs me to take a photo to categorise these moments and allow my feelings to conform to the social norms we blindly live by, but I believe that it’s the moments, that will out-live even the finest photograph, best quality recording or most meticulous documentation. A part of me believes they may even out-live these bones and flesh keeping me warm on my journey.

The moments that challenge our logic, conformity and knowledge. The ones that remain uncategorised long after their time has past. The moments that make us feel something we can’t put into words.

The warmth on my skin, although intermittent. The constant movement, although ever changing. I wonder if this is how I’ll remember this life? The taste of cold coffee in my mouth, the intermittent warmth of the sun on my skin, moving through moments I can’t describe, holding onto feelings I don’t understand.

Celine Thrane-iPhone 8-Gothenburg, Sweden

If these are the things that remain, why do we refuse to lose ourselves in the moments that make up our lives? Why must something be explained or understood to have relevance? Why must these moments be processed, filtered and transported in a digestible digital package to be shared?

Our external programming teaches us that this is the only way to live, that to find happiness we must live like machines. That non conformity and broken things have no place in this world.

Yet, here I sit, watching the world whisper away my deepest worries. The ever changing essence of the earth slowing my blood and flesh, giving me a gift, without asking for anything in return. Giving me the opportunity to feel indescribable things, create moments in time that may even out-live my mind.

For the first time in this life, I accept this gift! I dare to feel. I dare to live, without knowing how. Live, without knowing when, or wondering why.

If this is how I shall view the showreel of my existence, I say Fuck It! Let me break from the conveyor belt. Disconnect me from the system. Unplug me from the mains.

I want to bleed. For my flesh allows me to live a life never to be enjoyed by even the most advanced technology. Broken things have a place in this world too, we are mother natures soldiers in our war against the machines.

Lusaje Photography-Canon 2000D-Cork, Ireland
Memories
Social Media
Thoughts
Reality
Perception
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