Techno-Rant
“Many
of the dangers we face indeed arise from science and technology—but, more
fundamentally, because we have become powerful without becoming commensurately
wise. The world altering powers that technology has delivered into our hands now
require a degree of consideration and foresight that has never been asked of
us.”
Carl
Sagan (Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space)
On two
occasions this week, I have been reduced to screaming at my laptop. And I do mean
screaming—ARRRGGGHHH—that kind of screaming. I know technology is supposed
to be convenient and useful and time saving, and it is for some. But, for me,
it is simply an exercise in frustration. I know—it’s because I’m old and didn’t
grow up with it and yada-yada; nevertheless, it shoots my blood pressure through
the roof on a regular basis. Here’s why: Technology has taken the human contact
out of business. Another way of saying that is, “It has taken the humanity out
of business.”
The
whole idea of calling a number and having a human being answer the phone—someone who can be understood—who can take your order or help solve your
problem, is a thing of the past. It’s gone the way of the tip on the lightbulb,
or the cassette tape. Trying to do something as simple as transfer information from
one devise to another, upload or download a document, or going to a site that advertises
FREE downloadable images which turn out to be costly, is frustration enough to render
me completely homicidal. Don’t tell me it’s easy—please! It isn’t easy if you
don’t know how. And some of us don't want to spend precious hours trying to figure out an app that won't take our password!
Abhijit
Naskar, in his book, Hometown Human: To Live for Soil and Society, said,
“The belief that technology will solve every problem of society is what I
call digital fundamentalism, which is as dangerous as religious fundamentalism.”
Isn’t it synchronistic and interesting that these two “isms” have risen in the
collective zeitgeist at the same moment in our little blip of time. Perhaps
they are related. Both have dreams of world domination.
As you
can see, this is one thing I’m not thankful for this day after Thanksgiving,
even though I depend upon technology to post this blog. It’s the universality
of it, the demand that everything be done using it, that I object to. So often,
we humans invent things we don’t understand the implications of, or we see it
only from one perspective—usually involving financial gain. We are brilliant
inventors without the wisdom or emotional intelligence to know where our
brilliance will lead. Sagan was right about many things, including that. Let’s pray
that the new year brings wisdom and foresight. And less frustration. May it be so.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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