Bethany's blog!

When reading this, I realized a couple of things. One, I believe that you can be moral and not religious. Second, I think that the conclusion of this reading is that one can always strive to be a better person morally. I would find it pretty impossible to do all of these things listed in order to achieve moral perfection, as deemed by Franklin, and not go a little crazy. I feel that in always trying to be perfect, there are going to be times when you mess up, and then you would beat yourself up about it. Your personal growth would not be so high if you were always stressing about arriving at perfection. Therefore, I think it is important to make moral choices whenever possible, but realize that you will never be perfect, no matter how hard you try. This is simply the way of life; when you do make a mistake, try to reconcile it in the best way possible according to your moral code, whether that is from a religion or from secular thinking.

One thing that I would add to Franklin’s 13 is open-mindedness. I cannot stress the importance of this in getting to know the world. I believe that this is one of the greatest ways to have personal and spiritual growth. Always question the world around you and what you believe in; without doing this, you cannot truly be an open person until you are willing to look at the things you are most convinced about in an objective light.

The summary of the first part of the essay reflects upon the bad consequences that the Internet has had upon our society. Things included are sexual predators, reduced importance of community and a distancing from reality by not keeping in contact with family members. The Internet users did not belong to as many organizations, keep in touch with family members, and the amount of friends they had as non-Internet users. The survey reported that the Internet did not have such a negative impact upon its users than previously thought, although it could influence them to behave immorally. The conclusion of the essay is that the Internet does not have any impact upon social ties to the world around them, and it is a wonderful tool to improve connection to those around the users.
The second part of the essay had the opposite argument than the first; the Internet is a good thing for humanity because it broadens relationships and allows for much more information to be learned in the same amount of time. The essay points out that for the past 35 years, people have become less involved with the community, and this is simply a change in society that is not connected to the Internet. However, this essay believes that the Internet does not have a psychological impact upon its users when forming relationships, but it does cause for small, but significant distancing from reality. Greater usage of the Internet also had a correlation of depression, even when used for social connections. The friendships made on the Internet are not as “real” as those in real life, and do not have as much worth. Therefore, the essay concludes that the Internet, used primarily for communication, has a correlation to a decrease in social involvement and a increase in psychological problems for the users.

My thoughts:

I feel that the second essay was more detailed than the first. I also find myself agreeing with the second essay more than the first, since there is empirical evidence, however small, to support the negative psychological aspects associated with Internet use. I feel that in order to combat this, a person must be aware of how they use the Internet and how much time they spend on it. Our society is becoming increasingly obsessed with the Internet as a form of social connectivity. I think that this is a good thing, because it broadens our horizons and we can find solace in Internet communities if there is no support. This was the one point that I did not agree with in the second essay: that friendships made online are not worth as much as those formed in our daily lives. Our world is becoming more individualistic, and the Internet is a reflection of this. I believe that it is a wonderful invention not only for social reasons, but because of the impact it has on learning and education. Therefore, I think that reflecting upon the time spent on the Internet, and making efforts to be involved in the community can help combat the negative effects that the second survey concludes.