Where are You Going? Part 1

I often contemplate the effects of technology on human person, and on society.

What is technology for? Does nature need, or benefit, from technology? How? In what way?

How can we dare to contradict the voices of development, globalization, progress?

Technology must serve human beings; foster the growth, development, flowering and fruition of  human nature. Technology must not violate human beings.

Therefore, in order to distinguish between skilful, useful technologies, and harmful, destructive technologies, we must first understand the nature of humanity. What is human nature?  Does technology serve to further this meaningful nature? Does technology make people more truly human? Technology should serve human nature.

What is the meaning and purpose of human life? What is man and what should he be? If we, as a ‘civilization’ don’t have an answer to this most fundamental question, how can we design a technology to serve that end?

If technology is not intended to serve the furtherance and potential of human life, then to what purpose IS technology developed? To make money? To increase economic activity? Even when that economic activity is directly detrimental to human life, and other forms of life?

For technology is to serve the human person, it must recognize that the human person is in a society, community of relationships, in a natural environment of life systems.

For example, we should ask ourselves: Why do we put technology at the service of luxury for the privilege of elites, when the majority of the human race does not have food, medicine, homes, or the requisites to sustain life?

It’s time to put the modern world on notice, that they must respect human spirituality.

Only spirituality puts material concerns second; and materialism must be put in its place.

The technocrats are almost like medieval popes, disdain others. They alone are masters of knowledge, they have all power and knowledge. They believe they can dictate and pontificate to the rest of us, and who do we think we are to questions their authority? They wonder at our hubris to question, even challenge, their globalization-vision of Utopia, technotopia.

Selfishness must be restrained. But how do we answer those who say that human nature is essentially selfish, oriented toward domination, self indulgence, cruelty?

All I can say is: Living together in harmony and cooperation is preferable to living together in conflict and violent coercion, isn’t it?

We must dismantle the industry of war.

Is growth good? When is enough enough?

When you have enough, is growth good?

Is it heresy even to ask such questions?

I suggest that technological progress should be oriented toward preservation, protection, conservation, and cultivation of life.

Yet, we continue with a mindless growth, spiraling out of control. It is “mindless” because “the masters of the world” are afraid that if the quantity is not increased, everything will come to a standstill, or the system will go haywire, leading to possible ruin. They want to maintain the status of the rich. Growth, they believe, will satisfy the peons because “little people” will receive some trickle-down, while the rich reap the vast wealth.