Social Stupidity

Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are becoming more and more popular all the time, and many people spend several hours each week scrolling through their news feeds.  I am no exception to that statement.  These sites have their benefits, no doubt.  They allow easy communication  and transfer of information across huge distances and they accomplish this with unparalleled speed.  Unfortunately, these sites have their drawbacks as well, and some are even results of their 'benefits'.

The internet is a remarkably large source of information.  Indeed, it is the largest single source of information that humanity has ever known.  It should be appalling, then, how few people take advantage of the information directly at their fingertips.  It is very common for people to flock to sites like Facebook, wasting huge amounts of time there, while largely ignoring the abundance of educational material sprinkled around the internet.  The vast majority of these people have very little idea of how much they could actually accomplish in the time that they waste on social networking sites.  As a result, most of these people become naive, lazy, and mindless sheep, happy to scroll down a page and believe whatever they read.  Many hoaxes were spread through email in the early internet, but these same hoaxes are now spread like viruses through social networking sites.  The vast majority of these hoaxes can be debunked simply by googling them, as many are already documented (and they all lack supporting evidence).  I've never seen a user do even this miniscule amount of research, and this is unacceptable.  Hoaxes are allowed to spread uncontrollably by those who believe what they read by default and those that are too lazy to do otherwise.

I am truly frightened by how naive the typical social network user is and the speed at which information is transferred through such sites.  I have a specific relative that serves as a perfect example of the consequences of this dangerous combination.  She spends hours on Facebook throughout each day, posting and sharing dozens of statuses and comments.  I have no doubt that she visits several other websites as well, all of them representing her views on politics, health, religion, etc.  Unfortunately, she has no idea whether the information that she sees is correct or not because she does no research.  Even worse, she doesn't care whether the information is accurate as long as it supports her beliefs.  Recently, she shared a picture with the following assertion: "Every single person who has cancer has a pH is that too acidic.  Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize in 1931 for proving that cancer can't survive in an alkaline, oxygen rich environment but thrives in an acidic, low oxygen environment." [sic] I won't state that this is inaccurate based on the glaring flaw in structure.  I will, however, state that it is inaccurate based on everything else.

• The statement that a person has a pH of any kind simply doesn't make sense.  The liver and pancreas are slightly basic while the acids in the stomach are highly acidic.  Cancer thrives in all of these areas.
• There is no citation to support the statement that "Every single person who has cancer has a pH is that too acidic."
• There is no citation to support the assertion that cancer thrives in acidic environments and cannot survive in alkaline ones.
• The statement that Otto Warburg proved that "cancer can't survive in an alkaline, oxygen rich environment but thrives in an acidic, low oxygen environment" is erroneous.  Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for his research on respiratory enzymes, and his research proves only that cancerous cells can grow and develop without oxygen. ("Otto Warburg - Biographical")

It's maddening that no one does any amount of research on things like this, considering how easy it is to deconstruct statements that aren't supported.  This is a constant problem on social networks, but for the most part, it isn't a very serious issue.  It becomes a very serious issue when people take the same approach outside of these sites.  When people are motivated more by emotion than by facts and evidence, people like Andrew Wakefield become renowned as whistle-blowers.  Too many people simply don't care enough to search for the truth.

"Otto Warburg - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 31 Oct 2013. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1931/warburg-bio.html> 

The Wild

Break is over, and the crunch resumes.  Unfortunately, in the nine days that we had off, I have had no reprieve.  I have already written about my over-stress, at least to some extent, so it isn't much use to restate that point here.  No, there is a new point to be made.

As I sweat over the mounds of unfinished and overdue work on my to-do list, I think back to a classwork schedule that I was given in AP English at the beginning of the semester.  If I remember correctly, Jon Krakauer's Into The Wild was marked to be read at some point this year.  Considering my present circumstances, I wish that the book was a higher priority.  From what I know of Christopher McCandless' travels, I can relate to him quite a bit.

McCandless was a very intelligent man.  He graduated from high school and university with high grades, at least enough to be noteworthy in light of his later actions.  He had a promising academic future, but he left it behind, along with $25,000 in college funds, his family, and his residence.  Inspired by author's such as Henry David Thoreau and Jack London, McCandless began traveling.  He kept minimal supplies, even abandoning his car to hitchhike.

I can only speculate, but I assume that McCandless abandoned what he had because he was feeling exactly what I'm feeling: doubt.  Tiredness.  Occasionally, even total apathy.  I can't help but feel that the $25,000 to be put toward college is worth less than $250 for gas and freedom.  I can't help but think that I'll enjoy a paycheck more than a scholarship.  I find myself wondering what, in the ten years that I've planned for future education, I could do in the wild.  I wonder what I would feel on my own.  More than anything, I wonder how it would feel to live without the constant fear that I could destroy years of my future with a single mistake.

Now, I wait for an answer to my questions.  I can't make a decision about something so monumental.  I have tens of thousands - maybe even hundreds of thousands - of dollars at stake.  I have the option to pursue a Doctoral degree.  Could I honestly throw that away because my motivation has died?  Will a decision make a difference?  If I can't get my shit together soon, it might not matter.  Those mistakes are looming overhead and I sit still with my mind paralyzed by the weight of that fear and guilt.  None of my teachers will except excuses for much longer, and neither will I.  It's crunch time, and I'm being crunched.

It's very common to fantasize about what one might do should they win the lottery.  I always that that I'd like to live in luxury, but I have recently fantasized something different.  If I had enough money to do whatever I wanted, I'd buy a small, efficient car.  I'd buy a modest house somewhere, just large enough to fit a library, where I could read until natural light failed and sleep prevailed.  I would get a job at a coffee house somewhere, where I could smile at the people I meet and wonder about their lives.  I would spend my days smiling, reading, and learning without the harsh stress of deadlines and busywork.  If I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted, I could make myself happy.

I envy Christopher McCandless' freedom, and his bravery to make the decision that he felt was right.  I wouldn't want my journey to end in such an untimely death, but the destination matters less than the journey.  I almost wonder if the journey, however short, is worth that cost: what use is a life lived unhappily?

Over Break

Some lucky individuals have told me how excited they are for the break. I'm certainly GLAD for a break, but it's a shame that I will not be able to relax during it. I had big plans for the break, but due to school-related issues recently, my plans have had to change.

Originally, I had intended to travel through California with my mom to visit colleges. Whether or not I had my driver's licence, I would be able to practice driving a lot during this trip, and on the open road. Many of the colleges in which I am interested are in California, and the trip would give me the opportunity to observe their campuses and make a better decision about college, when the time comes.

Now, though, my trip had been postponed. Due to the large amount of work during the first quarter of my senior year, I have fallen somewhat behind in all of my classes, though this is certainly evident from my levels of stress. I am especially far behind in government, which, due to the flexible nature of the class, always gets pushed back behind my work at AACT.

As most of my teachers are giving me little or no homework, I will have a lot of time to work over the break. The majority of my time will be devoted to finishing my government work. I can easily plow through the reading and written quizzes, and I will save the portfolios until I'm done with that. Once all of my work with solid deadlines is completed, I will work on my capstone and discuss the timeframe for my work with Nathanael. Throughout the break, I will be applying to colleges. I'm very hopeful that this will relieve my stress and allow me a little more time to relax throughout the year.

In this year, my last year of high school, I am finally given a huge amount of recognition for my work,  and I think it's about time for my work to mean something.