Juhee Goyal, Class XII E
Technology, in itself, is a summation of contrasts. It has the ability to control natural phenomenon to suit human needs and serve human purposes, as well as become the cause of natural disasters that take the lives of many; it has the ability to alleviate the pain of millions suffering from countless diseases, but can cause countless more; it has the ability to bring accessibility and convenience to many, while making the lives of others so complicated that they are unable to lead wholesome lives.
The impact of technology is too complex a topic to be stated as simply ‘good’ or ‘bad’. The line ‘If we continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner’, as said by General Omar N Bradely, underscores the fact that whether or not technology is good for civilization, depends on how WE use it.
Technology does have the ability to create a sort of ‘heaven on earth’ through a higher standard of living, eradication of life threatening diseases, and much more. All of which aid in the creation of an environment that caters to every need and want of humans. Sadly, at the same time, the multiplication of, in particular, these wants leads to the undirected use of technology, which, as aptly said by Charles a Reich, has the potential to destroy everything in its path: the natural environment, history and tradition, amenities and civilities, privacy and spaciousness of life – in short, civilization as we know it. Doesn’t this seem rather the opposite of what humans had envisioned technology’s impact on civilization to be?
Technology has indeed taught us that nothing is impossible: not even the total destruction of civilization by the very thing that was supposed to propel it forward.
