Echoes of the Wind

Among the turgid rocks of the Painted Desert at sunrise.

I summited a nearby boulder and stood proudly, surveyed the surroundings. I am no Shackleton or Hillary, but for a moment, it felt as if I had discovered a new world.

It was new to me, at least.

Suddenly, a gust of wind pushed me off balance, as if by otherworldly intervention. I steadied myself and listened as the wind pushed its way through the volcanic stone. The faint whistles and shrieks emerged around me like souls trying fruitlessly to escape hell. Something was announcing who had been and always will be of the land.

I smiled as I steadied myself.

The Privacy We Seek

Is there such a concept as privacy anymore? Anyone with a smartphone is trackable and recordable whether they want to admit it or not. Any website we visit, or image we click, is recorded and added to our digital profile (thanks for being here by the way). And somehow, anything we say to our friends in passing becomes an ad on our social media.

When I happened on a video camera in a bathroom somewhere in New York City I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was actually recording me. Of course it wasn’t, and I knew that. But I still needed to convince myself for some reason. The transparency of seeing the recording device gave me freedom, a choice, even if it was artificial. I could continue with my business, or leave and hope the next destination has a bathroom. I proceeded with me original intent and if it was recorded, at least I had my choice.

Yet, if we were afforded this transparency, would things actually be different? Perhaps the comfort of knowing how we are manipulated is all we seek. Anger and fear derived from the opaqueness of technology is simply a reaction to that which we can’t control. Opting out of cookies and tracking website seems like it would suffice, but somehow just the right kind of ads still manage to get in front of us.

We’re only watching. It’s not that weird if you think about it. We know you like it.