The Bubble Analogy
Now more than ever, people are starting to live in their own little world. They live in their very own little complex universe that only exists in someone’s mind in a reality all to oneself. Yet, we are living in the most interdependent society in human existence. Just look at the clothes you are wearing. Do any of the clothes you are wearing have written on them, “Made in the USA.” If you have even one article of clothing made in America, then you have been very fortunate. That’s not a real surprise. We truly live in the most interdependent yet individualistic society in human history. People live in their own world fixated with their friends and family along with others known to them. Soon after, there’s all (and more importantly) the little people know about the entire existence of this earth of concepts, organisms, and objects. This is how the bubble analogy works:
There’s one central bubble…AKA YOU. This bubble has strong connections to other bubbles, and that have been attached to each other. In addition, these attached bubbles are the biggest bubbles that the central bubble recognizes. These big, attached bubbles may represent relatives, loved ones, and/or close friends. All of the other bubbles just float in mid air unattached to the central bubble. At times, the central bubble may meet or pass by another bubble once or on more occasions during the existence of the bubble. Some bubbles appear more frequently to the central bubble yet these bubbles have not been attached to the central bubble. These recognizable unattached bubbles represent acquaintances that the central bubble has during its existence. Once the bubble bursts, then you know what happens from there as bubbles come and go.
The webmaster thinks that the bubble analogy applies to many people living in today’s American society. Many Americans are self-centered, and have been stuck kin their own little universe. Most people just care about themselves and the well-being of their inner-circle. I think that people will only unite if there’s not a visible sign of “normality” and “peace” in our society. Only at a great time of extreme adulation or tragedy will people come together such as winning a championship. Even after September 11, the country had been unified in order to mourn the loss of those that perished and trying to cope with what could be next. The real question becomes: What do people do during times of relative peace? In a sense, we are finding out right now. Many people during their free time watch TV, surf the Internet, and talk more yet less to others in a deep meaningful way. Think about it. Even though communication has increased, the length of conversations has been much shorter, concise and level of deepness has stayed at a safe, superficial level. In a sense, the webmaster believes that we are so advanced with our technology and way of life yet we have fallen so far behind. I believe that less real human connections have been made since people live in their own little universe. Three years ago, maybe 1:20 people had an iPod. Now, it seems like 1:5 people in urban/suburban areas have an iPod especially within the demographic of 13-35 years of age. The iPod remains the best example of people escaping into their own little universe. The webmaster knows this very well as an iPod owner for three years. Using the iPod to escape from reality and observing others escape into their own world. The iPod has transcended the world has just another gadget. It’s much more than that.
According to a Spanish proverb, “Un mundo, una cabeza.” Roughly translated into English meaning, “One head, one world.”
