The digital world has always seemed like a fog to me. Deep down, I’ve always been aware of this world, but I’ve always looked at it with a certain disdain. Today I recognize that the source of my disdain lies in a lack of understanding and a certain daily detachment from that reality. Labeling something as bad is what I usually do when I’m unfamiliar with it, when I create a barrier between what I know and what I feel I don’t want to know. And then Carvalhal broke down that barrier by reaching out to me, showing me once again that I was mistaken about what I thought I knew. In a very practical and somewhat cautious way, he showed me this digital world I had been running from. Slowly, he answered all my questions, and whenever it seemed to me that I was taking a pejorative stance toward what he was advocating, I felt a certain pride and exclaimed, “Yeah, I knew it!” But in the very next paragraph, he showed me that the negative doesn’t always have to be seen as such, and that what matters is to look for the positive in the negative. And I gradually let down my guard as the reading progressed. Where Carvalhal and I agree is that the world ended with the Industrial Revolution, with the birth of a society corrupted by consumerism and capitalism. For from that point on, everything became decadent—from human beings themselves, who grew increasingly sad, selfish, and competitive, to the damage inflicted on our planet as a result of intensive production without regard for the means. Man has disconnected himself from what is essential, and worse: he has severed his connection with nature.
However, Carvalhal argues (and so do I, now) that the internet has countless benefits, and one of them is this reconnection among us all. A corrupted society can once again become a community if we view the internet as a way to stay connected and share information, thereby increasing the likelihood of greater awareness. We are once again valuing what is intangible. The profit that was once defined by wanting and having in order to appear, causing us to possess far more than we needed, is now defined by experiences that cannot be bought, such as silence, for example. We value local and seasonal products and avoid animal-derived products. But it’s not just society itself is undergoing transformation, with pre-established systems being broken down – age, gender, beauty standards, and so on. Even the education and employment systems are changing, making way for the integration of digital media and tools. Our consumption habits are becoming more conscious, and this is due to the rapid and ever-changing flow of information we are confronted with every day. And this can be an advantage for both personal development and the planet.
André Carvalhal introduced me to a world I knew nothing about. An unexpected read that broke down my barriers; somewhat challenging, and always with a sceptical eye that eventually gave way to understanding. Has the world changed? No, the world has ended. But many of us still live in the old world.
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