So can you? Can you imagine living your life without any type of technology? If you live in a country that doesn’t rely on technology as much, then yes, you definitely could. But if you live in an industrialized nation, then the chances are more than good that you use a by-product of technology in some way, shape, or form at least once everyday. Technology exists all around us, and it is difficult to fathom the very idea of not living without it because a lot of the things we own in our home and use in our everyday lives would simply cease to exist without it.
The ways we communicate through technology, for one, have really evolved in the last few years. First, there was the introduction of the cell phone and pagers. Then came chat forums, instant messaging, and email through the internet. Nowadays, anyone can keep their family, friends, and co-workers informed of the daily goings-on in their life, regardless of where these people are in the world, through social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook. With programs like Twitter, you can update your status and inform others of your whereabouts with just a few, quick taps of your fingers on your cell phone.
But let’s go even further back than that. Let’s go to when the first automobile was constructed or even when the first steam locomotive roamed the grounds of the planet. Could you imagine living life without any form of transportation at all? The only transportation you could use is your own two feet. Nothing else. And the shoes that cover your feet wouldn’t be the attractive sneakers being pumped out by the second at a nearby factory. They would be made by hand out of the hides of animals, much like moccasins.
Some would argue that not having all the advancements from technology would produce a more utopian society. Whether or not technology has contributed to the decline of society remains to be debated, but one thing you cannot argue against it is that it has made the quality of living for anyone using technology much better. Although it has improved the overall quality of life, the fact remains that technology has affected the way people interact with one another and the way that view themselves.
People would be more independent and would most likely have the necessary skills and knowledge to survive in nature, in much the same way the first people survived. People would also have a better sense of self-worth because we are living to survive, not to consume, consume, and consume some more. We would not go to work just so we can go on shopping sprees or buy items that would become worthless to us in a matter of a few weeks.
Like anything else in this world, there is a good and a bad side to technology, but it is up to you to determine how it will play out in your life. Will you let it affect your life adversely, or would you reap from the benefits, all the while keeping a sense of balance?
