New Territory: The Web Space War

[martinlawrencescott]

Chapter 1: The Rules



My dad is an avid gardener. He understands the perseverance required to maintain the plant life around our home. Every morning he dedicates himself to eradicate twenty weeds from our garden. As I was watching him do this one morning he uprooted a dandelion from the grass and explained, "Not everywhere is a dandelion considered a weed. Some people eat dandelions. In fact, most of the weeds I pull out would work well in a salad, whereas the grass I am protecting isn't any good for you to eat." It is the gardener who decides what is a weed and what isn't pertaining to his/her plan for the garden.



Web Space is a garden that was planted in an unmarked territory. The ownership of this space is what causes so much confusion. We can all consider ourselves gardeners in the online world. We plant seeds we want to see grow and try to uproot weeds that should not belong. But sometimes one person's weed is another person's carefully watered plant. And to some of us the internet itself is a giant weed waiting to get pulled.




As long as there is territory here on earth man will fight over their right to it, and a battle over this new "Web Space" becomes similar to battles fought anywhere else. However, due to the available anonymity the online world provides within this territory, it can all be fought "in the dark". What would happen if in a battle between two opposing armies, all light became darkness? It would be the same as being blind and either: One would stop fighting and hide (appropriate response), or fight blindly against both friend and foe. One would have to truly know the voice of its allies and enemies in order to tell them apart.



Without our physical presence necessary in these battles, it is as if we are sending virtual gladiators into an arena in order for them to fight on our behalf. The losses to us personally are minimal, but we keep coming back to experience the bloodshed. Those of us not in the ring become spectators, placing bids on whichever side seems strongest. It is easy to forget the values being fought for (values are what we are fighting for...?) and to simply fight for winning's sake and to expand our ever increasing territory. We throw our values, ideas, words, and other invisible weapons at our opponents and expect to come out of this war unscathed.

 

[St Columcille]

Without our physical presence necessary in these battles, it is as if we are sending virtual gladiators into an arena in order for them to fight on our behalf. The losses to us personally are minimal, but we keep coming back to experience the bloodshed. Those of us not in the ring become spectators, placing bids on whichever side seems strongest. It is easy to forget the values being fought for (values are what we are fighting for...?) and to simply fight for winning's sake and to expand our ever increasing territory. We throw our values, ideas, words, and other invisible weapons at our opponents and expect to come out of this war unscathed.

Interesting monologue. Seems poetic. However, I am both opposed to it and embrace it. The internet is a tool, and as tools go, they are designed to make life easier. Ever use your hands to unscrew something that a wrench would easily take out? I am finding that these tools are becoming both problematic in the amount of time we spend on them, but they are enriching our quality of life as well. I am using a few iPods and one iPad that have greatly made my life soo much easier. As a soldier that has gone overseas for three tours, I can carry my whole library on the LDLS software on my iPad and laptop. Can you imagine, there is a library worth thousands of dollars at my fingertips. And Christians can use much of this for free on various online sites like CCEL (Christian Classic Ethereal Library) or on New Advent (a Catholic website that has the Summa Theologica, Early Church Fathers, and the Catholic Encycopedia). Now, I come here as everyone can see to have an interesting discussions. To me, when we are around a dinner table, rather than sitting in front of the television, people share and contribute to a wholesome discussion. If we come in looking for a fight, we are bound to find one; if we come here because we want to fellowship, even with an occasional spirited debate, then we are building and fostering both impersonal friendships and sharpening our own thoughts for our own convictions and dialogue with more personal relationships outside the realm of the internet and tech savy networking. We need to simply our lifestyle, but we don't have to live in fear about the culture war we encounter on a daily basis online or elsewhere. Considering that you quoted something from a book, I think you should at least cite the author, title, publisher, where printed, when published, and the page numbers. We call it in college the MLA citation.

 

[martinlawrencescott]

Ya, I agree with you. Sorry didn't check this part of the forum to see if there was a response. This was just an essay I wrote about how I related the internet space to physical territory. If we relate it to a garden in our lives, then we can plant and harvest a good crop, but if we relate it to a battlefield or arena in our lives, we can experience turmoil which results in any battle with our words.

I might expand on the idea eventually, thus marking it "Chapter 1". Haven't really thought where to go from there, but maybe I should start with your idea of explaining the benefits and practical purposes and then go on to how those are sometimes abused. I think the idea would try to explain internet ethics with Christian principles throughout but in a way where it is relatable to anyone.

Thinking that if I were to divide the book into parts the three major sections would be Garden (beneficial aspects of internet)

Battlefield/arena (keep those together or separate?)

Then maybe relate the internet to one or two other things and expand on them.

 

[St Columcille]

Ya, I agree with you. Sorry didn't check this part of the forum to see if there was a response. This was just an essay I wrote about how I related the internet space to physical territory. If we relate it to a garden in our lives, then we can plant and harvest a good crop, but if we relate it to a battlefield or arena in our lives, we can experience turmoil which results in any battle with our words.

I might expand on the idea eventually, thus marking it "Chapter 1". Haven't really thought where to go from there, but maybe I should start with your idea of explaining the benefits and practical purposes and then go on to how those are sometimes abused. I think the idea would try to explain internet ethics with Christian principles throughout but in a way where it is relatable to anyone.

Thinking that if I were to divide the book into parts the three major sections would be Garden (beneficial aspects of internet)

Battlefield/arena (keep those together or separate?)

Then maybe relate the internet to one or two other things and expand on them.

I am sure people who garden would still not relate; the soldier and Marine (such as myself) cannot even relate to your "battlefield" conception. What is the "crop?" What is the turmoil? I have been in the vaccinity of small arms fire while in Iraq, and I was on pins and needles. When an IED went off in front of me about 50 meters hitting a wrecker, that was an "OH (ejaculation inserted here) moment" where I realised I was no longer in Kansas with Dorothy and Totto. Most soldiers experience lots of boredom, and only very short bursts of actual enemy contact. Perhaps the WWII, Korean, and Vietnam Vets can relate more to actual battlefield experience when wars were fought on front lines or against militias and not terrorists dressing in civilian clothes. After a while, most soldiers experience a sort of numbing to the conditions of war and have a sort of nonchalent attitude saying things like, "if it is your time, it is your time." On one such instance, I was in Ramadi when the first time I heard incoming. My battle buddy and I ran to find cover and laid low, while everyone else was going about business as normal. That was my first experience in Iraq around 2005 with actual indirect fire. But the discussion I had with another army unit there, I found out that one mortar actually hit a guy... actually hit him, not next to him. Another person died in the shower as shrapnel ripped through the wall while he was shaving. What was he to do? Wear his flak vest in the shower? Now granted, each person's breaking point is different. There are rising cases of PTSD with soldiers on multiple tours, but not everyone in their unit who underwent the same conditions has PTSD. Now you compare this to the safety of internet, where the only way you can be a casuality is to allow yourself to give out information that damages your credit with identity theives, or with no parental control a child is seduced by a predator.

All other such things regarding the content one watches on the internet is the same as what one watches when on television, at the movies, or in whatever media outlet is available. Since God created the plants, even weeds, I do not think it always best to associate some sort of crop. After all, Marijuana is a weed, and our constitution of the United States was written on hemp paper. There is also some other weeds that are beneficial. I am only saying my own critic, you are going to write whatever you want to write. I just think a books such as that might only interest private discussion with friends and close knit groups. I don't think I would personally purchase a book on the dangers of the internet.

 

[martinlawrencescott]

Where there is great power there is great responsibility, though. There is the power of life and death in the tongue and the tongue can reach people it never could before online. Also, child trafficking and pornography has become an increasing problem on the online world. I guess that's not different than any other great leap in technology, it can be used negatively to a similar extent that it can be used beneficially and relies on moral ethics and principles to drive it the way the tool was meant to be used. But ya, the concept could use some work. I probably wouldn't read it either.

 

[St Columcille]

Where there is great power there is great responsibility, though. There is the power of life and death in the tongue and the tongue can reach people it never could before online. Also, child trafficking and pornography has become an increasing problem on the online world. I guess that's not different than any other great leap in technology, it can be used negatively to a similar extent that it can be used beneficially and relies on moral ethics and principles to drive it the way the tool was meant to be used. But ya, the concept could use some work. I probably wouldn't read it either.

The song that kids sing "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names cannot hurt me" is a very true statement. The tongue has little power over those who control their temper and realize that they are dead to the world and alive to Christ. This is one thing I think most of my Franciscan brothers and sisters can vouch in the thick of their ministry dealing with "hard luck" cases. I wonder how Mother Teresa could handle the crude poverty of Calcutta, India with a stride of grace. How could Francis of Assisi embrace a leper, when back in the day it might be a certain death sentence to contract lepresy? Unfortunately, there is little we can do to get into the homes of people to win them over to a more simple Christian lifestyle. I am encouraged because I am increasing my commitment to fraternity. And this is the community in which I think brings greater peace, greater joy. It is something to be experienced, not told. The best thing to do is start a grass roots campaign to do good works with joy. Perhaps such personal contact will be infectious. We have to be more creative, we have to be more sacrificial. It is unfortunate, because everyone is now so habitually addicted to government subsidies like Social Security, Welfare, and relying on government for their needs instead of the Church. We all need to be more like St. Francis of Assisi in doing good rather than preaching it hoping others will come around.

 

[martinlawrencescott]

Words affect me deeply both wonderfully and terribly, but other than that I agree.