But is it? As a species we have only been aware for a short time. Archeology and anthropology are disciplines that delve into the scientific study of human activity. I am sure some would say we have progressed amazingly fast but perhaps too fast. We barely have time to understand our innovations before they are replaced by something better, faster, stronger . . .
In the seventies I wrote a poem called “In The Year Two Thousand”. It was probably written for an English Class. I don’t remember how it was received but it stayed with me. Just a few lines:
We are playing with explosives
New technologies are so powerful
That they alone could abolish society
We are so excited by the next ‘new’ thing we don’t stop to question what we are doing. That may be a mistake. If your boat springs a leak, fix that before you invent a new propulsion system.
We have survived World Wars, pandemics, and terrorists’ attacks and we are still here. Why have we not fixed the issues that led to these problems? Hatred, poverty, diseases are rampant and yet we are excited by a new phone. A phone. Yes, it does allow us to keep in touch with each other and it is a great tool. I am afraid it has become a tether.
It really is only one section of society that is connected to the cell phone. A great deal of our world has neither the technology or the resources to support that technology. A great deal of our world is only concerned with living. They are concerned with finding enough food and shelter and safety. We have become complacent in far too much of our world. With complacency comes arrogance.
But we live in a world that is rich with resources. We live in a world that is wealthy beyond belief with raw talent. There is such an incredible beauty here right in front of us and yet too many focus solely on a 4 x 6” screen with pretty lights. Have we gotten our priorities skewed?
More than any other era, we are living in a time when almost anything is possible. Almost. There is one thing that seems to be lacking, the one thing that could change our world immeasurably, one thing. And it is not something brand-new. It is not something exotic and rare. Will. One little word. The problem is it is more than just a word. It is action, it is a force and it is an idea. And we all know there is no greater weapon then an idea. Once it is entrenched it cannot be stopped.
But our will has been subverted by pretty shining things that distract us from the problems we need to fix.
Both young and old will have to brave
The pressures of the future
As we walk blinded into darkness…..
Butterfly Sand 
Wise words, Pam. We lose touch with the reality beyond the screen. Beyond to few things the news shows deem important. The few things that matter to us for whom those essential needs are mostly always met.
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I hope so. But I do worry about the future reliance.
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I’m trying to avoid/minimize my dependence on my phone. I purposely avoid tying more and more things to it. They do break, they are lost, cellular networks fail.
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Amen. We’ve allowed ourselves to get caught up in the ever-changing technology and we’ve given up a great deal of our ability to think for ourselves. We are lazy and would rather let our devices figure things out for us.
“Will”. Too many people today couldn’t give you the definition. Perhaps we will never see anyone have the “will” to accomplish something unless technology has developed an APP for that.
🐾Ginger 🐾
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So true! One of my Quips was: Kids today don’t need to think, there’s an APP for that. I may not have been wrong.
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Great post, Pam!
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Thanks Jennie.
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You’re welcome, Pam.
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You are absolutely correct Pam. Distraction is the key word. These things are distractions to keep us from our true purpose of growth and change. Our rabid desire for more playthings feeds the money monster which gives the power to those who love the Distraction, those who are unwilling to undergo any type of personal evolution because it is often painful. For them it is far easier to ignore the pain of others than to evoke empathy. For those in power kindness is viewed as weakness. It is not a new problem either. Consider Marie Antionette’s famous quote when questioned why she was throwing an elaborate party for her friends and wealthy subjects when right outside the castle gates the impoverished people she ruled were protesting as they starved. She said, “Let them eat brioche!” It translated as cake throughout the years although a direct translation would be brioche. Whether she actually said it remains to be proven, but it is a glaring representation of the apathy of so many who do not see, nor do they comprehend, the plight of others. Forward Scientific inventions are touted as miraculous without regard to how they will affect society, the planet we liveon and the evolution of human kind. You are right. When you consider how much we have ‘advanced’ in just a little over 300 years in comparison to the age of existence it is astounding.
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Well said Cheryl, thank you!
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The sad thing is we can stop all the destructive processes if we all demanded change. Too many are distracted by something shiny I’m afraid. I like the “fix the hole in the boat,” example. Thanks, Pam.
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Thanks John.
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Yes. Thank you, Pam.
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Thanks for stopping by Emilie.
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This is such a brilliant piece on who we are and where we are going. Our lust for progress is lacking the wisdom to steady our ascent, which means the descent may very well be inevitable.
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Sadly you may be right.
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All that has to happen is for electricity to cease, like from a large earthquake or some catastrophe, and the whole world will stop. Well, the ‘tech head’ generation will, which is most of us in some form anyway.
But those ‘third world’ people will be fine, simply because they have been at that struggle for all their lives. Nothing will really change for them.
But for us it will deteriorate quite rapidly and it will not be a nice sight 🥴
Great post Pam, may it never happen…but, it could be a future test indeed to see just how far survival has really come from the stone age 😀
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Thanks Mark. I think anyone over 40 would have a chance, we have lived a simpler life. Younger . . . we can only hope it never happens.
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Well, we may have a few problems then Pam, we are only 30 years old 😂 🤣
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Our species has survived on, as Minerva McGonnegal so eloquently put it, ‘sheer dumb luck’.
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Now THAT I agree with!
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