Thought of the day— Technology — Exciting or Terrifying?
Good morning loyal readers and newcomers alike! Today I’d like to talk about a subject that is near and dear to my heart, technology. Or as I like to refer to it, the inexorable march toward the future.
If you’ve read my blog in the past then you already know the answer to my title question, of course I find tech exciting and not terrifying. I understand the implications of advancing our understanding of how things work, both good and bad. As with anything, there will be people who use it for nefarious purposes (I.E. goals running counter to the well being of general humanity) but there will also always be people who use advancements for the betterment of humankind everywhere. (I.E. 3D printing human tissue to replace organs and repair damage)
As with any change in the world though, naysayers of new tech appear just as quickly and are just as passionate that each new advance is just another way to coddle the “sheep”, while a vague “They” subtlely guide society from deep within the shadows. (NOTE not making fun of conspiracy theorists, I have a few myself.) My approach with these people is unflinching.
Them: “Don’t you know the government watches every move you make?”
Me: “Maybe, but I don’t care.”
Them: (Loudly) “What?! You don’t care? You don’t care that the government knows everything you do in a day right down to where you go and who you interact with?
Me: “Nope.”
Them: “You will when they start rounding us up!”
Me: “Probably.” (Putting my earbuds back in)
I had a conversation very much like this with a coworker who though “They” would use RFID implant chips (I discuss anything with anyone, at anytime haha) to track my every move. I took a few minutes to educate him in the basics of the technology, assuring him that such a thing is extremely unlikely for several reasons, and his entire rebuttal was summed up in four words. “Well, YOU don’t know.” I was flabbergasted. And then I realized, I will never convince this man that RFID is a perfectly harmless, passive bit of tech that has limited real world uses aside from tracking and storing VERY SMALL bits of data. And that is ok, because he will probably never need to use the tech for anything given that he is retiring in a few short years.
How do you feel about advancements in technology? Where is your hard line for ENOUGH? Self driving cars? Remotely controlled commercial flights? Body modifications that heighten senses? I haven’t found mine yet... I Love being alive right now, these last two centuries have broken barriers in communication which have enabled humanity to LEAP into the future in other areas. I could go on for days on this subject, but I’ll save some juice for the discussion.
So where do you land? Amazing breakthroughs or scary and uncertain future? Possibly a bit of both? I look forward to your comments.
Until tomorrow,
—ColdLogic