The more things change, the more they stay the same

My friend told me the other day that she had heard that aborigines just can't survive in our modern world. Between the visual and sonic pollution, the cell phone rays, the obesity of the electromagnetic field... she said they just cant take it, and it can cause their bodies to just shut down.

I've heard other weird anecdotes, like: Children these days aren't getting obese from eating fast food because DNA has now evolved to be able to process all of the unnatural toxins and chemicals my generation grew up shoving into our bodies.

So if one generation at a time our genes are learning how to cope with the chaos that makes up modern life, I guess it makes sense that people who haven't gone through these stages of "evolution" (not sure you could call it that) can't survive in this carnival we call life in America.

Although I love the smells and bells that come with city life, I couldn't take living in the heart of the city anymore. After years of being sure it's what I wanted, I found myself moving westward to the outskirts of LA and settling more deeply into life in Venice. Although it's still considered part of a city, it feels more like a suburb. Back in Hollywood, I couldn't even find a bush to let my dog pee on.

Here in Venice, I have a backyard with a tiny garden, and perhaps the best part of my day is when I go outside and check in with it. It's a space where I'll have one of those moments where I'm just staring at my hand reveling in the fact that I exist. I'll realize it so profoundly that it freaks me out. Something about the smell of tomato leaves really grounds me into being.

I imagine that if any aborigines actually died while visiting a modern civilization it is because they were completely unable to stay connected to their sense of self. Are those of us who live what we consider to be "regular" lives "evolving" in ways that protect us from our loss of self despite our ADD and overwhelming surroundings? If the aborigine had been protected with an ipod that was playing his/her favorite drum beat, would he/she have managed to make it through another day?

My uncle thinks that we are all turning into numb drones. He is disgusted by the way kids walk around hooked up to cell phones and ipods. He says it looks like we are wireless walking machines with USB inputs as opposed to bodily orifices. I believe these bubbles that we create for ourselves with all of our mobile devices are actually our way of taking our identities with us as we crusade into the shmorgasborg of othernesses.

In addition, our mp3 players and iphones (or if you're like me you made a political statement and bought the android google phone) are our ways of staying connected to those who we love and cherish. At first it seemed like Twitter was a retarded concept - but now we are starting to use it because it's actually a really good way of keeping track of your favorite people as they float around the veins of the matrix that are obstructed from your present position. Years ago the words "online community" sounded so bleak and lifeless. Today, we tap into our various online communities to feel recognized, understood, validated. It is sometimes the only place we can go to feel like we have a voice...

A day later, you might find out that someone you didn't even know was listening. You might make a friend you will never meet in "real life". You might fall in love in 2D. You might talk to your Dad and manage to engage with him more profoundly than you ever did in person. I'll be the first to admit there's been a countless number of times when I've experienced tear-filled breakthrus while sitting in front of a silly computer screen.

And you might look like a lifeless drone while you are having one of these moments... and you might have to remind yourself to get out and deal with the bar scene before the weekend ends. Perhaps it would be more socially acceptable to get wasted and cry on a street corner while you friend prepares for you to puke all over her new shoes. When you're far away from home, and your friends are moving pieces, this world we've created online becomes a major lifeline.

I enjoy when I know everyone I love is safely tucked into bed and I can turn off my cell phone. I like the quiet of Venice (save your every-other-month shooting) compared to the non-stop chaos of Hollywood. But when I wake up in the morning and I've got a virtual pile of notes from my friends, family, and what I'll call "cyberkin", I feel proud to have found a balance between old and new that really keeps my life full and filled. Tomorrow if we get invaded by aliens, or if we get blasted back into the stone age, I believe I'll find a way to be happy with either side of the equation. The more things change, the more they stay the same.