I finally finished the last book in Stieg Larsson's trilogy. I am not giving anything away in describing Lisbeth Salander's state of mind at the end of the book, when she finally reunites, in person, with the journalist Mikael Blomkvist. She reflects on the fact that she hadn't had to deal with her feelings about him for many months as she had only experienced him on the 'net in pixels and electrons. We are left wondering if she will finally merge into the real world around her and be able to thrive in a life that for her had been so brutally abused for many years.
Checking the news after finishing the book made me wonder if perhaps we are all headed toward an as yet, unknown virtual life to avoid the real one we are faced with. I noted the fact that the oil leak in the Gulf disappeared from the front page on the very same day that Apple's introduction of its new phone grabbed the headlines. It is a smart, sexy gadget and tool and I will probably be buying one soon. I just hope that in our enthusiasm to engage in new technologies, fun communications devices and a virtual world, there are some people out there who are willing to question the road we are marching down. Increasingly disturbing, is that this rush to embrace an electronic world is now being driven by giant technology corporations who proclaim that this technology can create new freedoms for us. The best result will be that technology can can help us thrive in our real world to know and understand it better, rather than hide from it.
(The photo above is of a recent painting called The March, which will be available for sale soon. )
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