What scares you the most?
Death? Sickness? Loneliness? Uncertainty? Methinks the list
may be so long that I could probably easily fill an A4 page,
but I won't.
What scares me tremendously is the thought that we,
the human race, thinking we are doing great and progressing
wonderfully, seem to be heading full flight towards a
precipice from which we may never return.
Smart as we may deem ourselves to be, why do we keep on
making the same mistakes over and over?
Has not history taught us that often the minute we invent
something ''good'' for mankind, someone else figures out how
to use it for something ''bad'' or that it may have drawbacks?
For example:
Cigarettes. Once deemed as ''good for you'' we now
know really isn't. Actually, they are deadly.
Plastics. Once deemed as a miracle invention due to
its flexibility, strength and durability.
Bad because it's not biodegradable it just
breaks down into tiny little pieces that
leak toxic chemicals and ruins eco-systems.
Nuclear fission. Believed to be a zero-emissions
good clean energy source but bad because it leaves
behind waste that remains indefinitely deadly.
Gunpowder. Good for blowing up stuff to
make way for progress and more living space.
Bad because it changed warfare the world over
and made it possible to make killing others
much more effective.
The Internet. Good for bringing people together
and finding information quickly.
Bad because as well as having brought us ''closer'',
it has also provided a way for people with criminal
and or hurtful intent a way to do so while hiding behind
a ''veil'' of anonymity.
Smartphones. Good because it's like having a pocket
sized computer with all its many abilities always handy.
Bad because of the expectations of always being
on line and available.
(Sorry for not going in to details but I'm hoping you are
getting the point none the less.)
Technology for all the good it brings it can also
bring psychological problems.
The National Library of Medicine has found that
constant connection to the net can have psychologically
negative ramifications such as: distraction, narcissism, anxiety,
sleep disorders, depression and instant gratification expectations,
etc. etc. etc.
Having said all that I have now come to my
actual worry: are we getting lazy at thinking
critically and deeply about important stuff?
There is research that indicates that an over-
reliance on technology is causing analytical
thinkers to think less deeply and intuitive
thinkers less intuitively and instead
rely on the offerings provided for them
via their smartphones.
We do need to use our brains
because if ''we don't use it,
we may lose it''.
There are things we can do to exercise our
brains because brains like muscles work better
when used.
Some examples:
Reading books, listening to music,
doing puzzles, learning a new skill,
learning a new language, thinking deeply,
building one's vocabulary, conversing face to face,
learning critical thinking skills, etc. etc.
''We may possess every technological resource......
but if our language is inadequate, our vision remains
formless, our thinking and feeling are still running
in the old cycles, our process may be 'revolutionary'
but not transformative.''
(Adrienne Rich)
''Critical thinking is not something you do once
with an issue and then drop it.
It requires that we update our knowledge
as new information comes in.''
(Daniel Levitin)
about the image: acrylic on large canvas
painted with only a cloth no brushes.
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