Q&A: Has Technology Caused more harm than good

Q: What do you think about technology and the rate at which it's advancing. There are people that complain that technology has made the human race weak. I personally have no problem with my gadgets and how easy things have gotten. But I am curious to know your opinion about this Mr Ralph. What do you think about technological advancement or technology as a whole. Do you think it has caused more harm than good.


A: Well sir, I personally am a lover of technology. I find gadgets to be one of my main fascinations in the world today. But not just gadgets, every single thing about technology is just so interesting. I swear till today I still wonder how a person can pick up a box and speak into it then another person that's in a different location gets to hear the person clearly and with nothing physically connecting them. I still keep fighting back the thought that some "winchy winchy" things are in play by these oyinbo people.


But just like every other thing out there, anything and everything has it's positive and negative side, especially when it is done is excess. Just like you have mentioned, technology has contributed a great deal in making the human race weak. Back when most things were done more manually, people had a healthier body composition and didn't even need the gym to maintain a good physique. But with the introduction of certain machines and equipments that require lesser manual input to get a job done, you start to see the reason why things are the way they are now. Back then you wouldn't need to carve out any extra time to go to the gym just to stay healthy and look good because your everyday lifestyle would help sculpt your body and keep you looking healthy. But then again if technology didn't ease up physical stress there would be no time to put in mental energy and focus on other things. As I said before, it has both positive and negative affects.

The technological advancements I would say, so far are okay. I don't think they have gotten to a level where we wouldn't be able to handle it. Although one major problem in this is the way a single machine is able to put hundreds and thousands of people out of work at the same time. But there are still alternatives for now and then again, the same technology has also created job opportunities but only for those who have adapted. At the rate which technology is going and growing, I fear that very soon, a day would come when we would forget that technology was made to aid us and not replace us. A day when we would forget the main reason why these things were created in the first place. I believe that although the earth and all it's possibilities are ours to explore, we should still put a limit to how far we dig.
     I remember a particular content in a book from secondary school that plays in my head every time. I cannot remember the words exactly but it was referring to how weapons have advanced through time. It described how just a couple of years ago, men prepared for months and years to hone their skills and would go to war, fight for days and weeks, sometimes for years and there would be casualties ranging from hundreds to thousands. But think of how things are today, a simple push of a button in my room is ready to cause damage in another continent and with casualties of over a million. And mind you, you require no special skill to push that button.

An abacus gave birth to the computers we see today. The cups attached to strings for communication from ear to ear gave birth to phones today. Bicycles and Chariots gave birth to the sports cars we cars today. But then again, arrows gave birth to bullets. Bows and crossbows gave birth to pistols and rifles. crop duster planes gave birth to fighter jets and dynamites gave birth to atomic bombs. These are all technological advancements, so can you see that if we keep advancing there is a possibility we would go too far if things are not kept in check.
So, although it is really good that technology has brought us a lot of good things like, music, movies, the internet, radio and all sorts of other things. I think we humans should know when and where to say "enough". We should know when it's just quite enough and be disciplined enough to know that certain things should not be explored.

Let us advance, by all means let us do. But let us weigh the good with the bad and know if everything we create is worth it. Technology is beautiful, it gave birth to the laptop I used in typing this, so without technology you wouldn't be seeing this. You would have trekked to your village this past holiday season if not for the availability of cars and trains.

My conclusion? Technology is a double edged sword. We need to be more careful when handling it.

So far it has caused more good than harm, but it's only a matter of time before the possibility of that probability flips around and has us regretting certain steps. Let's be careful...