Let's face it. It's the twenty-first century and almost everywhere you will see something that we humans have created that supposedly %26quot;make our lives easier%26quot;: Computers, MP3 Players, Cellphones, Automobiles with GPS, Traffic Lights, etc.
Development in countries rely on these technologies, as well as the destruction of %26quot;old fashion%26quot; values in others.
Tell me your opinion about this.
Are we literally enslaved to the ever-changing technologies of everyday life? Are we really happier?
Enslaved, no. Technologies are tools of choice. They force nothing on us, though they may be tools used by people to force something on us. But can you imagine an Egyptian stone worker claiming to be a slave to those new-fangled copper carving tools?
Are we happier? uh, Yeah. My teeth didn't fall out in a pool of puss like they did for my ancestors, my hair isn't eaten away by lice, my food isn't shared with rats, my son isn't crippled with polio, I can read, I've seen lands more than 25 miles away, I've flown, I'll live more than 44 years, the black plague hasn't robbed me of any family, I can listen to music without hiring an orchestra, and even rail a complete stranger via the Internet how the obvious increase in quality of life will make one happier.
Are we literally enslaved to the ever-changing technologies of everyday life? Are we really happier?
Only a person enslaved by said technologies would ask this question. I have a land line telephone, no cable, no internet at home, and I manage to stay well-informed.
Keep your head on the facts - less than half of Americans have a computer at all, much less the internet. It's certainly addictive over time (I don't think my mother would stay sane without the internet), but not nearly as vital as you would think.
All the people saying maps and newspapers will be obsolete in the next few years - they remind me of the hoards of idiots who totally bought into the Y2K hysteria.
i think it makes our life harder because we expect more now. instead of writing an essay for english, i have to type it.
I heard somewhere in europe that they got rid of the street signs and lights and there were less problems.
Are YOU literally enslaved to the ever changing technologies of everyday life? Are YOU really happier. You will never be a WE let's face it?
I have learnt how to handle everyday life, being older, and am quite happy with MY life. Thank you
I hope I'm not, but interesting theory...
First question: yes.
Second question: superficially yes, but actually, no.
I don't think we're enslaved to it - tho for all practical purposes, I don't see us having the moral fiber to pull back from our indulgence in it either. AND, I think we have shot ourselves in the foot in a very serious, possibly fatal way, and I'm not sure if we'll survive it or not. We are gradually eliminating the need for human contact with each other. First the telephone, then TV, now the internet and texting - you can email and get your groceries delivered to your door.
The only thing is, for us to be happy, with all that implies, and it implies a lot (like the development of decency, morality, law, society), we need the contact with each other. We're gradually turning down the oxygen percentage and we're not aware of the debilitating effect it has on us. I mean the signs are there to see, such as school shootings, gangs, social dis-integration, but no one cares.
Like I said, I%26quot;m not sure how it's going to come out.
Technology is a tool by which mankind extends himself. It is not a method of enslavement. (But I guess that depends on your perspective.) Whether or not they have made life easier, they have certainly increased the pace at which we grow, learn and adapt.
The internet alone has given the ability of any person to gain knowledge on any subject merely by the click of a few buttons. The about of information available is evolving our culture faster with each passing year.
You can see it as a tool to restrain you, or you can see it as a tool to liberate you.
Connected to Disconnect
Cell phones, iPods, and Blackberries
Connections of our own making.
Creating a self-inflicted network
to isolate ourselves and disconnect
from one another.
TiVo, DVD, and Video on Demand
Surrounding ourselves with input
to no real practical end
other than to isolate and disconnect
from one another
Video Games, Internet, and Offline Computers
Stealing our sleep
while uselessly occupying the mind.
No time to interact,
keeping us disconnected
from one another
Input from anywhere and everywhere
inundating with information
no one understands
and much more than is needed.
Filling the hours,
being disconnected
from one another
Disembodied voices
and artificially created faces
of no substance or feeling,
except,
one of complete isolation and disconnection
from one another.
We fly the lanes of the cyber sphere.
Yet, going nowhere
as we pseudo communicate
through pseudonyms and avatars
in an initiate鈥檚 shorthand
that is meant only to isolate and disconnect
from one another.
We slavishly place this marketed technology
between ourselves and others.
For the god of expediency,
we enwrap ourselves in isolation.
Connecting to disconnect
from one another.
The devices intercede
to hide the emotion
we all need to share with each other.
Anger and frustration easily communicated
to pervert ourselves
toward the other.
Face-to-face contact is needed
to codify and modify our treatment
of each other.
Connecting to connect
with each other
When we place technology between ourselves and others, we remove the human interface which is culture and courtesy. Allowing ourselves the ability to demean and deride our fellow man to the diminishment of our souls.
This question is really the forefront of social analysis, it's cutting edge - what have we really achieved through civilisation if so many people are still unhappy?
The pace of modern city life is undoubtedly faster than any society in history, and as a result people are all the more stressed. Though technology provides us with enormous material wealth, it comes at the cost of peace of mind and copious amounts of our time dedicated to work. We have abandoned the simple agricultural life for one where every person is entitled to luxury: abundance of rich food, transport, entertainment, a house, hot running water and minimal physical labour etc. but are we really that much better off for it? Are we happier?
Mental health issues are on the rise, especially depression and anxiety disorders. Most tellingly, developed societies suffer a list lifestyle diseases that their third-world counterparts are free from, in what has been dubbed 'affluenza' - from heart disease to acne. From the beginning of industrialisaion, social commentators have questioned its benefits on quality of life. Contemporary psychologists are only beginning to hypothesise as to the cause of the absence of general well-being in what, at face value, are the most priviledged societies to have ever existed.
Who is %26quot;we%26quot; Kemo Sabe?
Liberally educated persons are enslaved by precisely nothing.
They are free (liber).
The druzzley droney herd are enslaved by almost everything, so don't blame technology.
Dial back 1000 years and the druzzley droney herd were enslaved then, by everything.
It's their nature.
They are sawed off Munchkinized half-persons who live in boxes, tiny boxes, itty-bitty boxes, on the hillsides of their minds, made of ticky-tacky, and snicky-snacky (I hope I get some of those of Halloween, don't you, de... lish).
Our society has become consumerist oriented by making each aspect of life through death - a business.. It is sickening. Even when you die, the 'death industry' - aka: 'funeral industry' is there with their hands outstretched, waiting to be paid.. a lot..!!
Life is many things.. but it is NOT a business. Living the KISS way would be much, much better. Life is to enjoy. If one can't have the time to think and dream %26amp; just plain.. live.. then what is the point of working just to have more electronic junk.. and other clutter - that you are in debt for..??
Take time, plenty of time, for livin' !
It is to our curious nature that we are enslaved. The moment we become observant of any limit, we have opened up the status quo for possibilities to enter.
No. No.
