His Holiness, Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dalai Lama
Rather than write about a company launch, a new service or yet another conference, I wanted to write about technology itself and what it does to our quality of life. A friend of mine sent out a group email to alert all her friends and family that she had eliminated Text from her life as she “wasn’t enjoying how some people text vs. call these days and she was receiving lots of unnecessary texts. The world doesn’t need more ways to stay disconnected.” At first I though, that is a bit drastic and unnecessary as it does provide a purpose of sorts to quickly reach out to folks when needed. Then I read the quote below that she included from His Holiness, Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dali Lama reflecting about technology.
It is ironic that the more serious problems emanate from the more industrially advanced societies. Science and technology have worked wonders in many fields, but the basic human problems remain. There is unprecedented literacy, yet this universal education does not seem to have fostered goodness, but only mental restlessness and discontent instead. There is no doubt about the increase in our material progress and technology, but somehow this is not sufficient, as we have not yet succeeded in bringing about peace and happiness or in overcoming suffering.
We can only conclude that there must be something seriously wrong with our progress and development, and if we do not check it in time, there could be disastrous consequences for the future of humanity. I am not at all against science and technology-they have contributed immensely to the overall experience of humankind; to our material comfort and well-being and to our greater understanding of the world we live in. But if we give too much emphasis to science and technology, we are in danger of losing touch with those aspects of human knowledge and understanding that aspire towards honesty and altruism.
It made me realize I too am guilty of losing touch with the simple things in life that make us human due to my never ending use of technology. Although technology can provide a better, faster, smarter and even more productive society; it can also take away from what makes us and our lives so special. Our curiosity. Our interactions with one another and our willingness to help each other. Below are some of the thoughts I had about the technology and services that I and others seem to have become distracted with these days.
- We live vicariously through virtual games such as Mafia Wars and via other people’s lives through Gossip Sites.
- Using Twitter has become a popularity game; let’s see how many followers we can have following us on Twitter. And when did it become necessary to share every single thought with others?
- Companies and celebrities are bombarding us with contact as they gather audiences at no cost from Twitter, Facebook and other social network sites.
- Anyone can promote themselves on LinkedIn and call themselves an expert without needing proof other than providing content that just may have been taken from other’s work.
- As useful as many sites are, they also require vast amounts of time constantly updating, reading and watching such as with Plaxo, LinkedIn, YouTube, Delicious, Bebo, Hi5 and countless others.
- Pressure on Facebook to continuously read and update one’s whereabouts, doings and witty thoughts is exhausting to keep up with.
- Reporting where one is at all times on FourSquare makes me wonder if people are seeking their own personal stalker? Another example of how isolated people have become because of technology and the need to let people know where they are to counter it.
- An epidemic of ADD has taken over our lives with the need for one to check email not once in awhile, but constantly, even if its in the presence of others.
I only hope that as technology continues to evolves, we will flourish with all the good it provides. One doesn’t have to take the “drastic” step of cutting off one’s Text Service, but one may want to be mindful of how one uses and contributes in life through this wonderful gift of technology that has been bestowed upon us.