WE WERE BLIND: ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

"All the light we cannot see" is a Pulitzer prize winning book and movie.  A main theme is that two different characters both listen to a third broadcasting over long distance radio transmission, sometime in the 1930s.  One of the characters is blind,  but neither sees the broadcaster.   Radio, the transmission of audio signals by electromagnetic radiation,  was developed in the late 19th century, and became the major mode of long distance communication in the early part of the 20th century.  A radio set can have both transmission and reception capabilities,  but most popular systems involved a few powerful transmitters beaming to multiple receivers around the region (or country).  It is  a method of auditory mass communication and had a profound effect on social systems.  Until radio,  people depended on face to face interaction,  or brief (telegraph) or extended (newspaper) written communication.  Radio  transmitted live voice in real time (and music, etc), creating centers of persuasive influence.  It unified countries for better (as in Roosevelt's reassurances during the economic depression) or worse (as in Hitler's rise to mislead Germany).  Radio was the basis for the metaphoric "light we cannot see", and removed the role of direct visual information in experience,  while augmenting auditory.  Sporting events now had a way of sharing the experience using sportscasters to described the play-by-play events,  adding their own excitement to the descriptions.  And politicians could reach many more people than meetings and railroad connections.  But the listeners were missing some vital information, like the fact that Roosevelt was physically crippled by polio during all these broadcasts.

Radio was the beginning of the process of distancing human communication from face-to-face interaction while preserving some natural human experience.  It augmented the value of auditory verbal communication skills that included  emotional messaging.  (At the same time, at the turn of the century,  Edison enhanced the illusion of movement into "movies" creating a method of transferring visual information.  It would take several decades to evolve this into an audio-visual signal that could be transmitted over distances. )

The power of radio,  and the power of silent movies derives, at least partly, from the isolation and intensification of one sense as primary.  Blind people are better at hearing things,  and respond more fully to sounds.  The deaf are more attentive to visual signals and can "read lips" in ways that allow some understanding of speech.  When the two components are joined together in transmission,  some of the focus of separate senses is lost,  and techniques of enhancement,  lighting, audio processing, etc. are used to strengthen the sense of presence and emotional significance in audio-visual combined modes.

The story All the light we cannot see describes the focused experience of radio transmission, how it impacted and unified groups of people, and was used by authoritarian regimes.  After WWII "Radio Free Europe" represented this effort to promote "democracy" to dominated European countries.  We are all blind to discerning the manipulative processes in communication unless we "tune in" to understand them

SPIRITUALITY and RELIGION

 At this time of special holidays, let's consider the role of religion in our lives.  (I have blogged about this two previous times:  September 19th 2012 and July 26th 2022.  Each time included other elements. )

Religion is a way of understanding life that addresses three questions:  What is the origin of life?  How does each human life originate?  And what happens when a life ends?  What is Death?  Although someday, detailed answers for each of these questions may be provided by scientific studies,  the conclusions will be tentative.  All science is about observing what is, and how it changes with time.  The "basic principles" are always expanded and modified.  The place where science and religion intersect is evolution.  This was recognized when Darwin first proposed his theory with the dramatic negative reactions that ensued.  

Evolution says that the process of life is constantly changing to adapt to the surrounding environment, and the selection of these changes occurs by the selection of the gene patterns of the organism.  Many examples are documented in the animal world; changes in behavior are influenced by genetic factors, often termed instincts.  Humans (and perhaps cetaceans) are a puzzle.  The human cerebral cortex has expanded dramatically compared to the rest of the brain,  and it appears to be able to "over ride" some instinctual predetermined patterns.  When we make decisions that do not follow instinctual patterns are the results adaptive?  How do we decide if and when our decisions are consistent with evolutionary adaptation,  and when they lead away from it?  There must be some basic perception of our role in the world and how it unfolds,  and this is typically called spirituality.  Spirituality is the way of perceiving actions or choices that takes into account the broadest adaptive significance of the decision.  

Anyone can have a spiritual perception of life choices,  but most people do not attempt this,  preferring to use the already available guidance provided by the cultural patterns of the society in which they live.  These cultural patterns are often called "religion", or something similar, and include a "moral code" of actions and choices designed to promote the welfare, and evolutionary survival of the group.  But the world changes,  and codes and actions that apply at one time and place may not be useful in another.

From time to time,  individuals arise who propose changes to the choices of behavior in life,  often embedding the changes in justifications of the "divine inspiration" or some other basis.  These are the spiritual leaders,  guides,  and false prophets that challenge the status quo,  and sometimes originate new cultural patterns, "religions".   These spiritual guidelines always address two fundamental issues: how to provide for birthing of new members of the society,  and how to prevent, if possible, the death of other members.  Most religions have an "origin myth" that proposes how life (or human life) first arose.  For centuries,  religions specified little about what happened after life ended,  and sometimes a belief that life continued and required supportive objects in burial was part of the story.  Christianity was notable for formulating a specific connection between the behavior of the current life,  and presumptive rewards or punishments in the future.  Hinduism, with reincarnation, is less clearly defined, supposing that one returns in a life form more or less desirable. 

Religions are modifiable cultural forms that provide relief from the many anxieties of life by offering the presence of a "divine being" who manages the unfolding of life, and a community of support for the common dangers and fears of everyday life.  Or some other form of anxiety reduction.  They are not "true" or "false" in the ordinary sense,  but "effective" or "ineffective" for performing their tasks.

This brings us back to the question of the coming holidays: Are current religious practices effective at supporting those who participate at this time of winter holidays?  Do people feel supported and valued by standing in line to score special gift discounts?  Are youth comforted by comparing their gifts with those of friends?  Do families emphasize social connection when celebrating holidays?  Do they even get together at all?  Does the separation of families magnify the sense of social isolation for many during the holidays?  Have our choices and patterns of celebration departed from the support of the social system and begun to degrade it?  

Each person must answer this question for him or herself.