be human

http://philosophyforchange.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/be-human-heidegger-and-online-authenticity/

Yes, the world appears to be a stream of experiences ‘out there’ when we are sitting down observing it. But when we are caught up in the flow of practical activities like chopping wood, driving a car, or shooting hoops on a basketball court, our experience is quite different. We are embedded in a mobile continuum - the ‘life-world’. We exist in the moment, in the element of events, caught up in things, responding to and engaging with processes and flows, not casually observing them from a distance. 

Heidegger argued that this experience of being in the middle of things is the normal human experience. Descartes and Husserl got it wrong. They should have put down their books and gone chopped some wood. It is only when we are in the flow of practical action that we become authentic human beings, responding to and engaging with a world that we are fully part of.

When we are trying to express our unique experience of the world, we need to be more creative with language. 

What key words come to mind when you think about being in the world? What rhythms and patterns of speech encapsulate your unique experience of being? Jennifer Sertl, who is one of the most authentic online communicators I know, shares music videos from YouTube to express thoughts and feelings that can’t be conveyed in the clipped language of posts and tweets. There is a dynamic language of tension and affect that defines the world as you experience it. To communicate authentically online, you need to find ways to give voice to it.