DIGITAL ASANA

I somehow missed this in the firehose of info and interviews that came out of “Internet Week” in NYC.  Here is Deepak Chopra (@DeepakChopra) briefly discussing technology as a catalyst for change. I say briefly because it veers away from technology pretty quickly and then goes into his books, thoughts about consciousness, strategies for shifting, etc.  All good stuff, but considering the context he sets in the first few sentences of the interview, it seems like a big missed opportunity.  The 10 min interview here:

Right away he comes out of the gate with,

I think technology is the extension of the human mind… It’s going to change our identity… we are all going to acquire a global identity, ultimately a cosmic identity through technology.

Wow.  OK.  I assume she’ll come back to that, right?  But instead we get a softball followup that seems meant to please the audience of Internet Week (who aren’t on their iPhone) by feigning surprise, “ZOMG so you are saying technology might be a GOOD THING!?” (I may be paraphrasing there).   Deepak’s response

Technology is neutral, what we do with it is up to us.

Thank you!  I was honestly glad to hear him say this; it’s so true.  But OK, please extend the thinking here - I mean a car is also neutral.  So please tell me more about what you envision we do with this neutral technology, how it is up to us - where are those precious moments where we can make those choices that empower, engage, and renew a world that is somehow more disconnected with every device that boasts its ability to connect?

<crickets>

Sigh. 

So we move onto discussion about the new YouTube channel, “The Chopra Well” which really is elegantly done, has a nice design, and clearly ready for prime time in terms of production quality and Deepak’s participation.  It’s a great place to store his thoughts on several topics and people can see and hear it come from him directly.  I really dig this and am glad to see him willing to do it in a way that is iteratable (not irritable).  The shots are him in his office, and it’s not pretty, but over time my sense is we’ll see the quality of the responses to the questions get better too.   Normally I’d say the biggest issue is a content one, but considering he’s written SIXTY-FIVE BOOKS, I’d say he’s going to be fine in this respect. 

Speaking of the books, I must admit I cringe at his admission that he writes them on his Blackberry and then emails them to his office.  “It’s hard to type on an iPhone” is one of those myths that just doesn’t cut it with me.  Same with, “I’m not good at yoga” or “I’m bad with computers.” or “I can’t meditate.” These are just lovely and convenient myths designed to perpetuate your status quo of not learning or being new (some say being “bad”) at something.  Somewhere a RIM executive got his wings.

Two other sidenotes:

• I like that he involves his daughter’s social site, “intent.com” in his work, which is a lovely gesture of a parent learning and involving his children, and in some way it humanizes him more for me.  Most young adults have had to show their parents how to use facebook or twitter (or texts) - same idea, bigger stage.

• His quick response to his long term plans, “My long term plan is to die.“  was so refreshing to hear.  As Baron Baptiste often says, “Death is coming to a body near you.” We can be wired, connected, social, and integrated as much as we want, but so much of it serves as a distraction from the inevitable conclusion of life.  I wish the interview had started on this thought.  I would love to have heard about how he sees technology as a partner in creating/documenting/experiencing a richer version of life so that instead of leaving breadcrumbs to show others the way, we leave seeds that grow and mature over time.