Technology, Man's Saviour or Downfall?
Luke O’Rafferty
Over the past 100 years, technology has been growing at an exponential rate, and will continue to grow. From generation to generation, the platform of living and our societal constructs are vastly different, who knows what will happen next? Could this become a new problem or fix all of our preexisting ones? Let’s see if the pros weigh out the cons.
It's crazy to think that not that long ago, our way of life was a completely different reality. We, as humans of course, have always progressed in one way or another but the growth of change comparing the beginning of time to the last hundred years, is staggeringly different. As global awareness grows, technology grows with it hand in hand.
As you can see on the chart, this is a simplified example of how we have progressed in the past, and what our future holds. As the past has shown, there has been many discoveries, but there are always the few that have the biggest impact. These discoveries through science and technology, shape the future for where humanity may step next, and no one ever seems to look back. It makes one wonder what discoveries will we make next and how will civilisation look then?
Everything that technology stands for is development, but development in what? That's where the problem seems to derive from, what are we as humanity using these tools for? There are those who seek to understand more about our universe and discover what is yet to be found, there are those who merely use it for self-indulgence and to make their life easier and then there are those who use it to have power over others and cause harm. The problem which is never really addressed is how we as humans should morally use technology, instead we have been handed all these tools with no training, no background, and off we go. As H.A.L from 2001 A Space Odyssey famously said; "It can only be attributable to human error.". This highlights our problem perfectly, there is no fault in technology, it was designed for a specific purpose, the problem is a reflection of humanity. All of the things we have discovered have greatly boosted our life expectancy and ease of existence, but nothing is taken in moderation, as a species we have the tendency to abuse things given to us.
Growing up as a millennial I can only dream of what it would be like to be raised without screens, mobiles, and all this instant gratification. We in today's society are given so many rewards with such little effort. We have doors that open for us, stairs that move for us and there is no need to hunt for food. We don't have to leave the house to talk to friends, we can experience the world perfectly well through a screen at home and we can gain popularity without even showing our faces. All of the above have one thing in common; dehumanisation. I believe it could be damaging to our mental state, if we continue down this path, things which aren't as genuine and real as I imagine it used to have been. We have become lazy as people, we expect all these things to be given to us, we can’t enjoy an experience without feeling the need to share it with the world, because experiencing it for yourself isn't enough anymore. There's argument that this is the next step of evolution, but is this something that we should let take over?
Being a nature enthusiast and a spiritual wanderer I can't help but rant on about how this has affected human behaviour, and how the younger generations mental states seem to be in decline. In reality though there are so many amazing benefits to technology, that have resulted in new ways of living which I believe are positive. It's spectacular how anyone with access to the internet can see and communicate with what is happening around the world, there is an abundance of information to be gained for anyone looking, whereas back in the day you would only know your village and neighbouring villages, and the information only goes so far. I wouldn't have had the chance to write this blog and talk about things I find interesting if a computer didn't exist. Technology has helped with sciences, healthcare, tackling poverty, raising awareness, making new discoveries, and the list goes on. Such a tool shouldn't be eternally damned but should be used correctly.
The paradox we seem to find ourselves in is, the more we discover and seek, the more we realise how little understanding we actually have of our universe, like a cat chasing its tail for eternity.
Long ago we had more understanding of life, and our place in it, not on an intellectual level, something beyond intellect, whereas most would argue we are more superior than ever. But as I look at this planet, and how we operate, with all this technology, and all this knowledge, and look at what good it has done... not very much at all. Our planet faces violence and poverty every day, the rich get richer and people are blinded by self-interest. I don't think it matters how much we discover, it won’t magically solve humanities problems because it has nothing to do with technology in the end. Instead of trying to reach the furthest stars, create a black hole, or clone sheep, why aren't we researching into things that will better off humanity? It's like we are trying our very best to not help each other at all, as if we want to live in dis- harmony. If as much time and effort was poured into things that matter instead of a really efficient running computer, this world would benefit greatly from it. Where our efforts are focused is all wrong, what we strive to achieve isn't important in the end, what we hope to gain is things that we don't even need, that give us no joy. The words I speak are harsh no doubt, but for the most part as I look around me, people have absolutely no idea the path we have set ourselves on, and we all follow the masses so blindly.
I hope that one day we can build our knowledge and progress on the right foundations, something that is progressive in the right sense, because if we were to do that, then humanity could become something far more than we could imagine. If we set off with the right intents and motives, and if we were to share ideas and abilities, we could end poverty, end war, end global warming, and it wouldn't be as hard as everyone thinks, all's it takes is some effort, sacrifice and love. Then from this point, we could venture into the unknown, make ground breaking discoveries, and with some discernment and wisdom, we could prosper.
Technology isn't bad, besides it doesn't have feelings in the end, but humanity needs to stop and take a long hard look into the mirror. We need to get over this hype of all the fancy gadgets and how convenient they are, and start building towards a future that has hope, rather than flying cars.
Peace.
