Liking Is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts.

This below is a worthwhile read:


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/opinion/29franzen.html?pagewanted=1&%2334&%2359&_r=2&sq&st=Search&scp=1&%2359;liking%20is%20for%20cowards.%20Go%20for%20what%20hurts.

Liking Is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts.
By JONATHAN FRANZEN
Published: May 28, 2011

A COUPLE of weeks ago, I replaced my three-year-old BlackBerry Pearl with a much more powerful BlackBerry Bold. Needless to say, I was impressed with how far the technology had advanced in three years. Even when I didn’t have anybody to call or text or e-mail, I wanted to keep fondling my new Bold and experiencing the marvelous clarity of its screen, the silky action of its track pad, the shocking speed of its responses, the beguiling elegance of its graphics.

I was, in short, infatuated with my new device. I’d been similarly infatuated with my old device, of course; but over the years the bloom had faded from our relationship. I’d developed trust issues with my Pearl, accountability issues, compatibility issues and even, toward the end, some doubts about my Pearl’s very sanity, until I’d finally had to admit to myself that I’d outgrown the relationship.

snip
I may be overstating the case, a little bit. Very probably, you’re sick to death of hearing social media disrespected by cranky 51-year-olds. My aim here is mainly to set up a contrast between the narcissistic tendencies of technology and the problem of actual love. My friend Alice Sebold likes to talk about “getting down in the pit and loving somebody.” She has in mind the dirt that love inevitably splatters on the mirror of our self-regard.

more at link...http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/opinion/29franzen.html?pagewanted=1&%2334&%2359&_r=2&sq&st=Search&scp=1&%2359;liking%20is%20for%20cowards.%20Go%20for%20what%20hurts.

Jonathan Franzen is the author, most recently, of “Freedom.” This essay is adapted from a commencement speech he delivered on May 21 at Kenyon College.

and want to listen to the actual longer commencement address, here is the link.
http://www.kenyon.edu/x57433.xml