Our Age of Technology

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   Motown2Chitownposted 11 years ago

   A recent Xfinity commercial has me pondering.  What is it about our age of technology that makes us believe we are superior to those who have lived before us?  How can we turn our back on the splendor of the ocean to watch a television program on a tablet?  Have we become so completely unaware of the wonders of nature that we've put ourselves on a path to destruction?  Why camp in the woods if we are unable to do so without leaving our wired lives behind for a spell?  Why do science and technology dominate every minute of our everyday lives?  What would happen if we had to spend our lives in silence - connected only to the people who are physically present to us rather than connected through the internet to folks anywhere in the world?
   
   The question rambles a bit, but I'm very interested in others' take on it.

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      jacharlessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Oh, the horror! lol.
      
      But, yes, MoChi, the left side of the human condition, science/technology has now taken center stage after a very long domination by the right side, sensationalism. This particular side is much more dangerous, not because it exists, but because it is superseding, consuming, dictating every aspect of living. From how we live to what we live. Even now, humans have been marketed enough to believe they cannot live without some sort of science. The defenders will state emphatically, "Well do not use science then."  But in the same breath leave very little choice. That is the downside.
      
      The upside: like the former dominant, science too will run its course until exhausted. It has already begun and the faster it progresses, the faster it loses ability, momentum and reach. There is not much room left to grow so it too will eventually implode. When this happens, humanity will revert back to their natural, organic habitat where they sit on the cool sand and watch the stars sparkle off the waves...
      
      James.

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         Motown2Chitownposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         James, I think that's exactly the way I'm feeling at the moment!  As though our world is being 'consumed' by technology and science.  It's noisy everywhere because everything's 'running.'  TV's are on, air conditioners are on; smartphones are ringing, dinging, jingling, and the people around you don't see, hear, or acknowledge anything anymore that isn't lit up, plugged in, or turned on. 
         
         I like tech gadgets as much as the next girl, especially the internet, but how much time do we actually spend anymore 'connected' to other human beings, you know?  It seems as though the more we're able to reach out to anyone, anywhere through the World Wide Web, the smaller and more isolated the world becomes. 
         
         I don't wish for the actual destruction of anything in the world - technology or otherwise - but we human beings seem so unable to EVER achieve any sort of BALANCE in/with the Universe.

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         prettydarkhorseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         How soon can I do that?

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            jacharlessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            

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   prettydarkhorseposted 11 years ago

   It is sad but it is true, science and technology have clearly overtaken us.
   
   Lots of advantages as well as negative consequences and it boils down to ones priorities.

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      Motown2Chitownposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You're so right pdh.  We've become so obsessed by things that have no eternal meaning, or even any meaning in terms of truly advancing humanity.  Science and technology certainly advances humanity, but in such superficial ways sometimes.  We've become less able to communicate, less able to love, less able to respect a human being simply because they 'are.' 
      
      Please don't misunderstand - I think science and technology are valuable - but aren't humanity and a respect for the grandeur of our natural world even more so?

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         prettydarkhorseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Contrast that with a fast paced life that we have sometimes.
         
         
         
         Even though we are able to communicate with lots of people from different places with ease, I want a personal touch. I still write to people I love and send them by mail!

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            Motown2Chitownposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            You know, that's such a great idea!  When I was young, I had an aunt whom I had never met who lived thousands of miles away.  We corresponded by mail for years.  Both of us often sat outside enjoying nature as we wrote/read our letters.  I miss snail mail....lol

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               prettydarkhorseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               That is fun isn't it? That is how I learn English when I was a kid, my mother lets me send letters through pen pals around the world.

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                  Motown2Chitownposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  That's a wonderful way to learn a language, and to get to know others in the process!

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