What's too much?

Koolhaas talks in very direct manner about his thoughts, which I appreciate much more than a deep language of underlying meaning that most theoreticians try to convey. One of the final sentences in his topic of the culture of congestion states that the true ambition of a metropolis is to be completely created by man. Over the course of the reading, he states that we have found ways to use technology to re-create the world we live in, in the most artificial form possible and boasts this as a big accomplishment. I will say that technology as a whole has vastly improved our world. It is the reason I can sit in front of my computer and write this blog post and not have to hand write it and turn it into class the next day. It is the reason we can use software to create the drawings we need at a much faster pace, than manually drafting our work. It is the reason I can communicate with someone a 1000 miles away in a matter of seconds. Technology has brought us a long way, but the question is, how far from reality has it brought us along the way?

If the goal for Koolhaas is to create a world of artificiality, then why is he inspired by the world that is around us now? The idea of the golf course in the Athletic Club, while man made feature, is something in the midst of the nature and the environment we live in. Does he understand what it is actually like to hit a golf ball? The tension between the club, ball, and ground? Putting a golf ball on bermuda grass compared bent grass? The difference between golf in America compared to England (where it is played links style in adverse conditions)? The weather plays a great role in how the game can actually be managed, and strategically played. All of these factors cannot or at least should not be simulated by a machine than mankind makes. They are opportunities in life that need to be experienced, physically experienced. While you may not be able to experience this in the city, that is what makes the suburbs, the country, unique and special in its own way. This allows us to appreciate different aspects of different settings. If everything was created in one setting, there would be little left to appreciate in the not so fortunate places. 

So my debate is what is too much? When can we not allow the idea of technology run our daily lives? When can we put down our cell phones to have a candid conversation with the person in front of us? Technology is a powerful tool of connection to those away from us, and a tool of disconnection for those around us. The same goes with this idea of artificiality in the metropolis. Technology has significantly improved the way a city runs, and it should be doing this precisely; optimizing workflow. But when technology comes around to hinder an experience that is best understood first person, that is when the question becomes, what is too much?

Koolhaas "artificially" making an appearance in the Kunsthal

Even Trump wants to experience links golf