What is the big deal with advanced technology? What would the world be without computers?
Have we ever given this any thought? In almost every industry, in every country, in every part of the world, the computer has tangled its way through the deep labyrinths of society and now… there is no way out. Or is there?
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of us believe in time machines and that with technology it would be a domestic item in the near future. Can we please get back to reality?
The reality is: technology is blinding us. We over-rate technology. We do not see how globalization can destroy the earth, our only home, because the prospects that new modes of technology present are so promising that the dangers it poses are dismissed. What or who has caused this to happen and what implications does it have on mankind?
We, of course, are the blatant culprits who have trapped ourselves in this technological dilemma. The implications are manifold and its ramifications are endless. Now we are completely beyond rescue – a world without computers is no world at all.
Computers threaten the progress of Man. Ironically, as we progress and see developments in the technological industry, Man as an entity becomes weaker with every new invention. As we become increasingly dependant on hand phones we find communication impossible when hand phones are taken away from us. Think about the 1960s and 70s when mobile phones were as rare as pagers in Singapore today; more likely, it was an alien item.
With upcoming developments in integrating exercise machines with computer games, people will soon forget that a jog in the park is also exercise, in fact, the best form of it.
Our extreme dependency on technology will eventually cause our downfall. And the best part is - most of us don’t even realize this because it is us who created and introduced these inventions into our lives. Yes! They are undoubtedly reflective of our laudable breakthroughs but the promises of technology have gained the upper hand and we have allowed this to happen at the expense of our home: the earth. What does the development in science and technology have to do with our Earth? With the increase in demand for electricity and fuel for vehicles, carbon dioxide emissions have increased in billions of tons. Scientists have come to a consensus that we “may be approaching a point of no return” as global warming exacerbates. The damage has already been done: in the past 50 years the layer of green house gases (which trap heat from the sun) has been silently building up, now posing deadly threats.
As the earth catches a fever, many remain ignorant. In a TIME magazine poll in 2006, 54% of 1,002 Americans believe that global warming is not yet a serious problem. 2% were not even able to comment. The fact remains that the global temperatures may be rising slowly but with every 1 degree increase, ice glaciers and ice caps are melting and causing a rise in freshwater level in seas. When the salt content of sea water is decreased, water currents are severely disrupted. In the long run, Europe would become as sparsely populated as Alaska. What makes Europe habitable is the warmth which water currents provide. How many Europeans know that?
You and I as students, or simply common people, how do we contribute to our ailing earth? The answer is in is our ignorance.
The first step to prevent the warming process from worsening is to make the effort understanding the plight we are in. The Earth is our common habitat and we must show that we care for others living in it together with us. Everyone of us has a role to play, albeit small, but it’s not worthless. Let’s start showing some concern for the earth. We could do some good for the future generations.
