EPTThe home was at its core a means of survival. It was a place we could eat and sleep in relative safety. As a result of its role and use, it is a reminder of our mortality. Even at its best a home was little more than an accurate reflection of us and our values. The outdoors on the other hand, has always been a reflection of nothing. It has always simply been everything. In the past the outdoors was where we went to meet our friends, do our work, explore the land, and attend social gatherings. There was no other option for spending our time. Things are different now. The indoors remains a place of shelter, but it has grown considerably. Within it's grasp we can talk to our friends through headsets, do our work on computers, explore the web instead of the city or the city through the web. We can take part in social gatherings that never end using such mediums as Facebook, Twitter etc. How are these activities preferable to their organic counter parts? What makes interaction with a facet of the whole or a pale shadow of it more interesting than the whole itself?
The obvious reason is convenience. It is far more convenient to download and listen to music as opposed to buying tickets for a concert you may not even like. Yet convenience itself, just like the notion that people do not get out as much as they used to, is a product of something else. Convenience stems from the desire to conserve time and effort. We want to conserve time because of the fear of death and consequence. We want to conserve effort in order to make the passage of time not only bearable, but seamless and enjoyable. We want this convenience to be indistinguishable from the ongoing stream of moments it accompanies.
So here lies the divide; the aspect of convenience that seeks not to waste time might see indoor forms of entertainment as false and hollow. However, the side that seeks to spend every moment in ideal bliss might see indoor entertainment as the perfect vehicle. This would remain a stalemate if not for one other factor. The outside world although arguably far more substantial than the indoor world is notorious for flat out killing time.
Computers allow us to absorb information and get things done at a rate almost impossible in the world outside our door. The complete removal of everyday obstacles makes for a more efficient and enjoyable, and therefore more convenient experience that persists throughout the duration of a computer's use. Not only does a computer allow us to accomplish certain tasks as fast as we want with almost no effort, it also allows us to witness events that occur outside of our awareness.
Technology is capable of changing the raw form of real things to suit our perspective. For instance we can condense a year in the life of a tree into a minute for the sake of our viewing pleasure. We now have the means not only to perceive the outside world, but the ability to adjust it for the sake of understanding. That is why for the first time ever, the great outdoors can be seen as little more then the space in between houses.
