Technologically man has made tremendous advances. Since the humble beginnings of the last century with the Industrial Revolution, we have reached the stage where we have invented and built so many gadgets that our very existence is threatened by them, like the atomic bomb.
We cannot deny that technology has greatly improved the quality of our lives. A trip to any part of the world now takes only a few hours by plane, whereas before it took many years. We communicate with each other more easily and efficiently. All it takes is a few button presses and we can talk to anyone almost anywhere in the world. A flick of the television switch brings us news, sports, and entertainment in glorious color. Modern cooking methods do not leave dirty doughs behind. For the lazy ones, fast foods are always available, some around the clock.
Modern computers have infiltrated every aspect of business, government, and even the home. City traffic is also controlled by computer. The same goes for many other things where computers are practically indispensable. The failure of the computer also means the failure of whatever system it controls. The computer has become almost all-powerful. Such is our dependence on it.
In war, our technological expertise has provided us with super-efficient weapons. Instead of swords and spears, we now have machine guns, heat-seeking missiles, cruise missiles, fighter jets, and other tools of murder and mayhem. Our ability to kill and destroy is terrifying. We have become so powerful that the possibility of killing ourselves completely is very real.
It is in light of this possibility of self-annihilation that we suddenly find ourselves more vulnerable and needy. While we are busy creating millions of devices to satisfy our fantasies, we have neglected our basic selves. We can make machine guns that fire a thousand rounds per minute, but we are not responsible for our creation. Then these weapons fall into the hands of terrorists and warmongers. What’s the score? Death and destruction on an unprecedented scale now plague the people of this land. Few are brave enough to oppose this scourge. Manufacturers profit from weapons. Armies use them to destroy each other, but hardly anyone does anything to stop it.
We let our creations run wild. In the name of class, creed, and religion, we pillage each other with the most powerful weapons available. We kill innocent people without blinking an eye. We are morally no better than dumb animals.
In the short span of the first eighty years of this century, we have had two world wars and countless other wars. Millions have died as a result. However, the wars continue, unabated. Some men opposed this madness but, like many before them, they were killed, pushed aside, or simply forgotten. So most of us, including today’s so-called world leaders, remain silent and let the violence continue. Some even aggressively perpetuate it.
Industrialization has brought us many benefits. It has also caused environmental tragedies. Air pollution, sea pollution, acid rain, and other forms of threats may one day overwhelm our very existence. However, few of these polluters are willing to face reality and do something concrete to stop pollution. They are more interested in making a profit. They don’t want to spend their ‘hard-earned’ money to clean up the environment. Let someone else do the dirty work. Such is your moral responsibility.
Crimes against ourselves and mother earth are also being committed in other areas. We reclaim land from the sea, raze mountains, and tear each other to smithereens. We do not know how to live in peace and harmony with each other. Nobody wants to be responsible for that. We have no moral courage. Einstein once said that we have ‘a perfection of means, but a confusion of ends’. We are capable of great wonders, but we do not know how to exercise such capacities of responsibility.
So we continue in our confusion, committing all kinds of crimes and blaming each other for them. It is high time we take responsibility for our actions, strengthen our moral courage and make the world a wonderful place to live.
