Outsourcing the mind - How a mentally "flat" world can lead to functional illiteracy

Over the past few decades, many Americans have found that their livelihoods can be exported to other workers in other lands around the world. Technology has made this possible, whether it is the ability to transport goods and machinery around the world in a day or two, the fact that information is now globally instantaneous, or the realization that we do not have to be geographically adjacent to do business together.  For many Americans, this has been a tough reality.  Earlier on, they had felt secure in their professions, thinking that their particular educations and experiences had made them invaluable.  Since then, the advent of the computer and the evolution of the Internet have conspired to create, as Thomas L. Friedman has called it, a "flat world."  Now, instead of competing with workers who live in your community and do the work that you do, you must out-compete workers around the world, many of whom may be hungrier than you are for the opportunity to earn a living.

As a result of this economic development, many American communities have suffered, especially because of unemployment.  This in turn has caused blight in many communities.  The impact of this transition has been obvious in Michigan as the automotive industry has realized the benefits of sending jobs to areas of the world where factory workers, engineers and managers will gladly work for less money, thus increasing the company's profits.  True, this helps the bottom line, and for many, the bottom line is the only line that matters.  If it increases profits, then it is good, and if it decreases overall profits, it is bad.

For those in business who are concerned about the state of many American communities, this movement must be in some way disconcerting, though, because a community without viable economic opportunities will inevitably fall into decay, causing a decline in standards of living, education, services like fire and police, and leading to an increase in crime, conflict and selfishness. As the adage claims, "Desperate times call for desperate measures."  These business leaders must, at some point, either decide that they need to feed these dying communities with jobs and income or they must give up on Americans because they are too greedy, demanding a living wage that is many dollars above what workers in Bangladesh are making for the same work.

The cost of outsourcing the work previously done by Americans is obvious, just as clear as it would be in any community that loses its main sources of income.  In America, students are being told to prepare themselves for working in the burgeoning "knowledge economy" that is replacing the traditional manufacturing-based economy of their predecessors.  In previous generations, hard-working Americans have built homes, paid their bills, and sent their children on to higher education with the profits they received from jobs in manufacturing.  They received living wages and superb benefits, like health care and retirement monies.  The mistake they made, without ever knowing it was a mistake, is that they did not realize the changes that would come when improvements in technology - specifically transportation and communications advances, computers and the Internet - would make their jobs obsolete, so they were not prepared for anything else, nor had they known - in many cases - to prepare their children for this different world.

Today, outsourcing is an economic necessity in the business world.  Companies that refuse to do it cannot compete against those that do.  Walmart is one of the most obvious examples of what outsourcing labor can do for the economic and political buying power of a company.  Many former businesses have tried to survive and failed in the wake of the onslaught of this commercial giant. Communities are forced to adjust, and many individuals have successfully adapted to the new economic realities of doing commerce in America, but, for now and the near future, many communities will continue to struggle as they and their children try to adjust.

Long introduction, but I now come to the point that I wanted to make for my students.  The irony, especially if you feel that outsourcing is a bad practice for America, is that many individuals are "outsourcing" mental functions because technology seems to allow them that freedom.  For instance, Americans are reading less than ever since the beginning of compulsory public education, and though it is considered to be common sense by now, research scientists have discovered a plethora of mental benefits that come from reading.  Certainly, it is true that one can learn from watching the History or Discovery channels, but the neural benefits do not match what is gained through critical analysis of texts.

Previous generations have also been impacted by the introduction of technology.  The calculator, for instance, has made the ability to figure simple math with pencil and paper nearly obsolete.  Many would argue that this is good in that we can now skip past these simple formulations and focus on using the mathematics on more complex problems.  The speed and efficiency of the machines replace the arduous mental gymnastics of manually figuring the math problems.  I suppose this would not be a problem if people indeed moved beyond the simple math and worked on projects that involve higher level thinking regarding mathematics.  This, however, is not true for the majority of people.  For those who do not know how to figure simple math in their heads, they are lost without the technology, and their brains are forever impacted because they lack neural density.  Whenever we make the brain work on problems - linguistic, mathematic or others - we add to the number of neural connections that are made in the brain.

For an analogy, think of how the Internet has changed since it was first orchestrated: Initially, it consisted of  only a few computers, working on a few specialized sets of functions.  Now, billions of computers and websites later, almost everything that humans know or can know is on the Internet.  Think about each website or computer that gets added to the Internet as a new neural connection in your mind.  The more complex your neural "network" becomes, the more functionality it gains.  In fact, researchers now believe that people become wise because of the massive neural networks created when they actively engage in critical thought over many years.  Therefore, even though their brain cells slowly deteriorate with age - as do all of the body's cells - many elderly people develop greater brain capacities because their lifestyle choices to that point have led to more neural connections.  It can take decades of arduous mental work to build such a highly functional brain, but it is not accomplished by passively watching television or "liking" Facebook posts.

More disturbing is the notion that the lack of neural stimulation can lead to a process called "paring" in which the body eliminates nerve cells that are not being used.  This is where the phrase "use it or lose it" becomes applicable.  We are born with more brain cells than we need to survive, and early on in life, the body begins the process of eliminating cells that are not stimulated.  The "wisdom" of the body makes the decision that having inactive cells is inefficient, so we might as well let them die off.  This is why engaging children in mental tasks early on is so important.  If they do not use their brains, they will forever lose brain functions that could have been nurtured through active stimulation.  This paring process does not end in infancy, however.  As teens, you are still gaining or losing brain functionality because of lifestyle choices that you make.  Consider the idea that what you choose to do today may forever alter your brain, for better or for worse.

Consider, also, that your brain will never again be as plastic as it is now.  "Brain plasticity" refers to the relative ease with which neurons can grow and connect.  There are particular critical periods during which the adage above - "use it or lose it" - becomes more important.  You will never be more capable of learning a language or how to play an instrument than you are right now.  This makes what you choose to do or not do very important to your brain, and that includes drug use.  Evidence suggests that chronic drug abuse may forever alter brain plasticity, making it more than just "an adolescent phase."  Ironically enough, when one loses brain plasticity, he is not really aware of it.  We are who we are, and if our early choices change our brains for the future, we cannot really notice the changes unless we have access to both brains to show us the contrast.

So, before you outsource mental functions to technology like television, computers or the Internet, consider what you are losing - possibly forever - by not engaging your brain.  I once told someone I know and care for - a father - that he really should get his kids reading more because of the positive impacts on their brains.  His reply?  "Well, I never really liked reading either."  And I thought about the cycle that he was creating.  How can parents who do not read teach their kids about the importance of reading and effects on their minds?  Maybe I should look that up on Wikipedia... or Youtube?

Why we make our lives so small

When I first thought about the word, define, really thought about it, it struck me as being very important that the root of the word was finite, the antonym being infinite.  As I have noted elsewhere, Soren Kierkegaard purportedly said, "Once you label me, you negate me," which I have always found to be profound.  A definition, by its very nature, limits one's understanding of a concept, and when we define ourselves in any way, we become this and not that.  This is why I cringe when people want to define my as "white" or "middle-aged" or an athlete (that last one is becoming more and more of a stretch,  but I am doing my best to stay active).  In doing so, people hope to make me more understandable, as if to say, "Oh, that is why you are who you are!"  Really?  It is that simple?  I don't think so.

Since learning this, I am certain that people have not stopped labeling me, coming up with their own terms for defining who I am and who I am not; however, my awareness that they cannot define me any more than I have been truly successful at defining myself has allowed me to make who I am an amorphous and plastic entity.  I use the term plastic in conjunction with the neurology term, plasticity, which refers to the ever-changing and adapting structures of the mind.  Neuro-scientists have repeatedly shown that how one uses his mind changes the structures of his mind.  That means that, once I learn a new habit or activity, it is wired into my mind because neurons grow to connect, synapses begin to fire, and my mind becomes physically different for the rest of my life.

This is why it is so very difficult for people to change their minds, to break engrained habits.  It is not a matter of simply choosing something new; when a new habit is formed, it takes a while for the nerves to grow to create a new web of neurons that will support the new behavior or even thought pattern.  The brain needs to physically change in order for one to change his life; this takes time, discipline and patience.  These are not qualities that are emphasized in our modern society.  We want change now, and if someone is selling it, we will buy it.  Earning it by struggling through frustration and fasting or learning new disciplines is considered to be unnecessary frustration.  Life should be fun!  Unfortunately, it is the search for fun that is derailing the locomotive towards well-being.

Back to the title.  We choose small lives, because we want simplicity, assuming that this will make our lives manageable and predictable.  The problem, of course, is that we limit ourselves, our potential, our experiences, trimming the depth and breadth of our possibilities to an uncomplicated, if bland and unimaginative little garden.  This small plot takes less care and limits dangers or uncertainties.  The drawback, of course, is that tending this little plot leaves one without challenge and spontaneity.  We wake up every morning knowing what to expect, or at least hoping we know, and then we wonder why, when we reflect back on a year after having endured it, we find so few moments that stand out as remarkable or even interesting.

I love the message of this song by Sister Hazel, but it has taken on new meaning for me, because I know that changing my mind is not as simple as choosing ruffles or no ruffles, plain or peanut, rolling or scrunching.  Changing the mind takes time and patience.  It takes commitment to a vision of who I want to become, and then it takes discipline to build these changes into my brain.  Older people become wiser only if they create these vast neural labyrinths that allow them to "see" connections between different Areas of Knowledge and Ways of Knowing.  This, in turn, can only happen if they recognize that the Knower is a dynamic entity that will continue to grow and possibly improve because one has consciously sought positive change.

This means that fun should not be our only goal.  What seems fun is quite often that to which we have allowed our minds and bodies to become addicted.  If it is fun to watch television and eat junk food, we might do that, but in the long term, obesity, the lack of quality relationships and imagination might impact our well-being, none of which seems fun.  If fun involves repeatedly playing the same video games, we might wake up one morning and realize that our friends have moved on to real-life challenges that are yielding more than digital rewards and wonder why we have not done the same.  If constantly going to the mall or hanging out seems fun, we might one day realize that, over time, we have not changed or grown in any meaningful way because we have not developed any disciplines that enrich life.

If a small, manageable life is what you want, then ignore this information.  I am not here to judge others who attempt to do so, especially since I have often caught myself doing the same, but if you want to expand your possibilities, to experience more and lavish in epiphanies about yourself, take the time to change your mind.