Maintaining Techno-sanity

Technology appears to be moving faster than what was imagined only a few years back. Moore's Law (the number of transistors on a chip doubles about every two years) seems to be getting outdated. Almost every part of our lives is invaded by some gizmo.

If you think that the medical science is enjoying the pinnacle of its success today, then hear what a medical expert says about its future: "One hundred years from now, people will look back at today's medical science just as we are looking back at snake-oil treatments of the past."

Such relentless growth in technology is hardly surprising when you consider the scientific fact that most humans use less than five per cent of their total neurons in their brains during their entire lives. If, with such little use of the brain, we can create so much technology, then there is a long way to go as we learn to use more of our brain-cells.

Should we be scared of such technological growth? I believe NO. I also believe that the future of technology is in simplifying life, not further complicating it. Soon our car will be able to take a verbal command and drive us to our destination via the least congested route in the safest possible manner. By and large, technology will make available a lot of free time. But what do we do with this free time? This, in my opinion, is the million-dollar question.

So the problem is not in technology itself, but our lack of purpose in life. When we do not know what we want in life, then we are bound to get lost and overwhelmed by the multitude of available options. Technology is a means, not an end. One is not obliged to use all the available technologies. The world is beautiful with people of different abilities. Everyone does not have to be tech-savvy. There is no shame in not knowing how to operate the latest gizmos if it is not required to achieve your goal in life. Just as necessity is the mother of invention, let necessity be the mother of utility. This, in my humble opinion, is the only way to maintain techno-sanity.