As for Man the Maker v. Man the Thinker, computers can be a great aid to creation. Most of what I do creatively is on the computer (but I’ll add here that I’m branching out to more tangible media), and even then I can often get real-world copies of my creations — Lulu books, photographic prints, CDs of music, even 3D metal sculptures if I ever get around to it. But yes, there’s something wonderfully satisfying about working with your hands.

Attempting to summarize, I guess I’ll have to revise my argument to pertain to those who are using computers, but at a painfully basic level. For those who don’t care to use computers at all, well, more power to them.

Chris: Ah, yes, I’d forgotten about that. Being a programmer, these computer terms have become so much a part of me that I assume people automatically understand them. But they don’t. A glossary of sorts would be good, since people who want to use computers do need to learn the jargon; without it, they can’t understand the tutorials and other materials out there that will help them progress.

I’ve started sketching out the pamphlet, and it’s definitely doable. Here’s a comic-style doodle from BenjaminCrowder.com that I put together this morning:

Ignoring the story, I think the style could work quite well for something like this. We’ll see. :)

However, I think the main factor that’s keeping her from it is that she doesn’t really see a need for it in her life. Email, you say? She already has a cell phone and more people over at her house everyday to talk to than she can handle. Photo sharing? The relatives bring over their scrapbooks or send her pics in the mail, and she can see everything else. News? That’s what she takes the paper for. Specialized information? I think libraries are still in existence, with real, actual people to help you. No need for word processing or spreadsheets or blogging or games. There’s simply no viable reason to learn how.

We young people are convinced that the elderly are missing out on something tremendously important, and maybe they are. But we forget that people got along fine before computers. Most of the things we do via computer can still be done by hand or by phone. What, in the end, are they really missing out on?

Really, the only true reason for the “older” people to learn computers is in order to land a job. Similarly to the immigrants-learning-English analogy, they will only learn what they need and nothing more. They don’t need computers to have fun or be personally productive. They already know a rich, fulfilling way of life without it.

More and more I envy these people. I spend a lot of time on my computer, and I’m sure only 10-20% of it is productive. A lot of what I do on here is not very concrete. Wouldn’t I rather be out in their world, producing tangible things? Cooking and sewing and crafting and making–this is one point where Karl Marx and I can agree. Isn’t it more satisfying to be Man the Maker than Man the Thinker? Data pushing just doesn’t cut it.