The Armored Cocoon
AS THE WORLD GROWS MORE COMPLICATED, STRESSFUL, and dangerous, we are turning our homes into bunkers, cozy sanctuaries in which we can set up alarm systems, pull down the blinds, and imagine ourselves safe from the threats outside. A man's home was once his castle; today it has become an armored cocoon.
Technology has made this retreat from reality possible. A telephone call brings nearly all the essentials of life--from footwear to pizza--right to our doorstep. Computer games and home video supply entertainment on demand. Now a new technology, virtual reality, could send us ever deeper into our cocoons--or inspire us to emerge, like butterflies, and explore the world.
Virtual reality's power lies in its ability to simulate an alternate universe. The tiny monitors inside a virtual reality helmet depict three-dimensional computer graphics of a landscape that shifts as you turn your head. Sophisticated hand controls let you move about and manipulate objects in this artificial world. Virtual reality allows users to immerse themselves in environs they might never otherwise visit--or which exist only in the mind of a software designer. Armchair adventurers can explore the ocean bottom or visit an imaginary planet, and risk nothing more than eye strain.
The danger is that, as conditions outside our windows worsen, virtual reality may seem more appealing than reality itself. Why spend hundreds of dollars per family member to visit the Grand Canyon--fighting crowds of pushy tourists and spending the night in a grungy motel--when a computer will create a clean, quiet Virtual Canyon in the comfort of your humble abode? Especially when the computerized version lets you adjust the canyon's color scheme to suit your personal tastes? Virtual reality gives us another excuse to stay home, thereby depriving us of the social interactions that are so vital to our humanity.
Even if virtual reality doesn't supplant the physical world, it may well divert us from solving real world problems. Many of us have become addicted to video games; virtual reality's realism could make it the technological equivalent of a narcotic. We can't save the environment or fight crime if we're constantly donning a helmet and escaping to another universe.
Of course, any technological development has both positive and negative impacts. Nuclear weapons threatened us with unprecedented annihilation, but fear of their use has probably prevented several bloody conventional wars from occurring. Millions of us let our minds atrophy in front of the boob tube each night--but television also brings us valuable news shows and documentaries.
Perhaps instead of isolating us from the outside world, virtual reality will stimulate our imaginations. It is easy to think of intriguing educational applications for this technology. Instead of describing the French Revolution to school kids, we will be able to take them to 18th century Paris and let them experience it "firsthand." In college physics classes, a virtual Albert Einstein might teach relativity. Used as a mental launching pad, virtual reality might inspire us to climb off our couch and see the world--to break out of our armored cocoon.
--Faith Popcorn
Previewing
THE AMERICAN HEALTH CRAZE OF THE 1980s NEVER HAPPENED--it was merely a fashion craze. More than 90 percent of the athletic footwear sold during the decade wasn't used for exercise, but to wear to the mall. Stationary exercise bikes flew off store shelves, but their odometers accumulated more dust than mileage. The childhood obesity rate has reached a 30-year high.
Many Americans, however, are ready to stop just paying lip service to fitness. Baby boomers are on the verge of a real, long-term health movement--their lives depend on it.
Why now? Baby boomers are getting a preview of their own mortality in the illness and death of their parents--and what they see frightens them. As their parents become unable to look after themselves, baby boomers must either assume the burden of care or consign Mom and Dad to a nursing facility. This dilemma raises the question: "Who's going to take care of me when I get old and ill?" Nobody wants to die as an inmate in a nursing home.
Fueled by that fear, the new health movement will transcend trendiness. The goal won't be beach-ready muscle tone. Instead, boomers will strive for lifelong fitness, the ability to remain active, alert, and independent in spite of advancing age.
Achieving this goal, of course, will demand lifestyle changes. Baby boomers will eat more organic food and seek cleaner air. Antioxidant sales will increase as they try to prevent degenerative diseases. Most important, they will exercise more, choosing gentle but healthful activities--swimming, walking, golf--they can pursue throughout their lifetime.
As scientists gain further insights into how stress shortens our lives, a spiritual component to the health trend will emerge. People will turn to longevity spas, holistic centers where the spiritually impaired can consult teachers to address metaphysical concerns. These spas will be located in deserts or woodlands, far removed from the pressures of daily life.
--Gerald Celente
Technotribalism
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