Both of these vignettes point to a dimension of the modern experience of life that is embodied and strengthened by E-mail, an interpersonal separateness. This dimension has been defined and illuminated by the writing of Canadian philosopher, Charles Taylor. (A Secular Age, Harvard Univ. Press, 2007) Taylor believes that one of the powerful and defining dimensions of the understanding lived by human beings in the modern age is the sharp, well-defined emotional boundary which exists between us and the world about us.

Taylor calls this situation we live in the “buffered self.” We have a “mind of our own” that allows us to say we are not going to let that individual or situation “get to me.” A buffer provides distance and lessens the impact and influence of external forces. If a doctor tells me that my headaches are a result of stress, in my mind, separate from my body, I analyze the situation. I believe if I am disciplined I can take action to possibly alleviate my distress. The well-defined boundary between my mind and my body allows me space to reason and reflect on the medical situation. The buffered self is, to a large degree, free to disengage from everything outside the mind. We disengage from material objects, from other human beings, from both the seen and unseen.

Few of us believe that our inmost thoughts and emotions exist in an open space vulnerable to outside powers, forces, and objects beyond our control. Taylor hypothesizes that this is a very different mental picture from those who lived or do live in a pre-modern culture. For example, he describes the experience of pre-modern Christians during the Rogation Days of Spring. The beginning of the growing season was marked by processions of the community through the newly planted fields. The community members carried with them their sacred objects, the symbols and relics which they hoped would add to the power of their collective prayers to ward off the misfortunes which might befall their crops. The emotions, thoughts, and fate of all were open and without buffers from the impact of forces unknown and beyond control. In contrast, whether it is tribe, clan, cult, magic, demons, or other enveloping powers, we generally trust that we are free from their dominion because we experience the true locus or control center of thought, emotion, and meaning contained within the self.

Our prized sense of individuality, freedom and personal choice is made possible by the thick boundary between the locus of our minds and the winds and waves stirred by the external forces of people, places, and things. Our buffering capacity to disengage allows us to withdraw from social pressures and to experience the personal choice and the dignity which accompany such individual freedom. At the same time, Taylor points out that disengagement is not always a good way to increase understanding. “When we want to understand what someone is trying to tell us in a conversation; or to grasp what motivates some person or group, how they see the world, and what kind of things are important to them, disengagement will almost certainly be a self-stultifying strategy.”

The wonders of the World Wide Web and of E-mail provide a marvelous technology for almost instant transfer of vast amounts of information. But they also constitute an additional powerful buffer, allowing us to be in touch and not touch. A recent management study suggested that Gen Y’s familiarity with the interconnected world “may mask the group’s inexperience in negotiating disagreements through direct conversation.” I was once taught that data is not information and information is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom. Perhaps we need to better understand and practice the strengths and weaknesses of E-mail in the search for true understanding.