Keep Your Life, I’ve Got My Own

In an article featured on CNN.com entitled “For Sale: One Life in China” is the story of a woman named Chen Xiao who has handed her life over to the internet. In an effort to find happiness, she has completely forfeited any life plans she had and does the bidding of China’s internet users, known as “netizines.” Some of the duties she has performed are: delivering pet food, taking pictures of a birth, and delivering hot food to the homeless. She doesn’t do anything “immoral.”

Xiao, 26, gets paid about three dollars per hour in exchange for her task work. Her logic behind giving up control of her life is that she was unhappy and disappointed with the life that she had led thus far. She figures that she will give someone else a shot at directing her life, and see what happens. I guess the question remains, so what? Why would anyone write a blog about such a topic?

Upon reading the article, I am reminded of a little book called Fahrenheit 451. Perhaps you have heard of this little masterpiece which was written by Ray Bradbury. If you haven’t heard of it, then you’re not even allowed to read this blog; you’re not worthy! The basic plot summary is that firemen burn books as a form of censorship, but technology is strong in the people’s lives. People interact with the television and consider the characters “family.” The main character’s wife is so completely immersed in the life of these stories that she doesn’t even have a real life of her own. Technology controls her.

Technology is such a dominant factor in people’s lives today. Even to the extent that people are relying on technology as opposed to letting God direct their path or making their own decisions. There’s even a woman from Nevada who has decided to auction her virginity off over the internet. Where I come from, there’s this little thing named decorum. In decorum there are set standards and propriety which explicitly excludes, to borrow a term from Shakespeare, “fishmonger-”ing. She plans on using the money that she raises to pay for graduate school for herself and her sister. Once again, want of money plus the internet equals an individual’s loss of self-control.

What it comes down to is the fact that technology does get a little out-of-hand. I hear people talk about widgets and I’m like…“Wait, what’d you call me?!” But, yes, they said widget not midget. I don’t even know what that means. I’m not even sure that I want to know what it means. Gadgets and gidgets and widgets, oh my! The fact that I can even post a blog is almost a miracle in and of itself. I may be the only one who chants it, but at least someone will chant it, “Long live the day of the paper and pen!” Call me a simpleton if you must.