Use and Abuse of Technology

Science that is practically and systematically applied is called technology. Technology has become the very essence of human life. Infact it has changed the lifestyle of the human strata. One can understand this when we view the man of yesteryears and the modern sophisticated man of today. Technology is going global and has resulted in mass urbanization but, at the same time it also has resulted in an exodus. Like the creator it is omnipotent and omnipresent.

One can talk and write loads on technology but, the big question is about its origin. One cant precisely answer this but we can say that it may have evolved the day man discovered fire. This was an accidental discovery. An accident that fired the imagination of the human mind.

Technology is blooming because of the inquisitive mind of man and an innate nature in him to know more, to understand and apply his theoretical knowledge practically for the benefit of mankind. Invention of the wheel was another milestone achieved by man. We have taken transportation for granted and rarely wonder the means by which we are able to travel from one place to the other.

Carts to the cars reflects the power of the human brain and his artistic engineering skills. Trains, cars, bicycles, planes have all evolved from the primitive wheel. Initially the engines were powered by steam but, with the advent of better technology engines soon became automated and the steam engine is passé.

Planes are the swiftest means of mass transit. Orville and Wilbur Wright who are the master mind behind the invention of the plane have enabled lakhs of people to travel across the globe. Man now reigns not only the land and the seas but also the skies. Rockets have enabled us to pierce the atmosphere and reach the stars far beyond the blue body on which we exist. Cosmonauts like Yuri Gagarin, Neil Armstrong etc are some names to reckon with.. It is technology which has enabled us to study about bodies that exist far away from the earth.

Reaching the stars is surely an achievement for man but when we take into account the number of accidents occurring in mid air we also view the darker side of advanced technology. How can we ever forget the spaceship Columbia that got charred in midair. The macabre incident throws light on the fact that any gross error can cause grave danger to many lives. Who is to be blamed or was this pre-ordained we cannot say. Man for sure has reached the pinnacle of success but even a small error will leave him mentally and physically charred.

Transportation is a boon for the homo sapien but, at the same time it has made him extremely lazy. Lifts and escalators have replaced the human legs capable of mobility. Today the number of cases of heart attacks, hypertension problems and obesity related disorders have escalated. What is shocking is not the number of patients but the age of the patients who are getting admitted. We see old parents taking their wards to the doctor for getting their ailments cured. Establishment of a number of hospitals is proof enough to show the validity of the statement. The man of yesteryears was agile, fit to eat all kinds of food and involved himself in work that required him to use his brawn. We now have dieticians recommending every morsel of food that we consume.

Today’s man lives in a world powered by electricity. From the time we get up hearing the alarm bell ring till the time we sleep to switch off our bed lights we live in the lap of electricity. Edison - the epitome of intelligence, the light of our lives has contributed to the society something which no one else has ever contributed. We just need to look around and we see all the household appliances like clock, television, telephone, cooler, computers, fridge etc all working on electricity. One can simply not imagine living without electricity. The recent black out in America literally handicapped the inhabitants. All life came to a standstill. This projects the pervading effect of electricity on our lives

Achievement after achievement yet man isn’t satisfied. He is swimming in a vast expanse of an ocean of undiscovered knowledge. The more he gets to learn the more he contributes to humanity. Communication is an essential feature of human life. This was possible with the invention of telephone by Graham Bell. Many decades ago telephones and mostly letters were the most and the only means of communication. Today we have internet, pagers, and cell phones as the most common means of communication. Letters are passé. Pagers did make an appearance but are now behind the fringes of an opaque curtain, for this opaque curtain is nothing but the cell phones and the computers.

The modem for sure has modulated the movement of the modern man. Computers are ruling the roost. They have become as much a part of our lives as food is to living beings. Infact it has become our sixth organ without which we are incomplete. Electronic mails more commonly known as the e - mail is replacing the postcard and the telephone. Be it any part of the world we are always connected to our near and dear ones through the net. All it takes is a fraction of seconds to pass on the message. Today communication is not just essential but imperative in business. Business involves an amalgam of thoughts and ideas and its implementation in a proper direction for which communication is necessary.

Companies like Reliance, MTNL, VSNL, Idea etc have slashed the talk time rates to such an extent that owning a cell phone is no more the prestige of an aristrocrat. Be it a business tycoon, a common man or even a driver all now own a cell phone as it is no more a luxury but a necessity of life .Communication has paced up our life but according to some research scientists constantly glueing our ear to the cell may cause certain radiation hazards. The radiations emitted by the phone nay also lead to cancer of the ear according to some research scientists

The internet has opened new vistas for people all around the world. It is like an ocean of information on any subject. It’s pathetic that internet facility has been abused by the gangsters and terrorists for plotting against innocent lives and implementing their venomous ideas. Slangs have replaced most of the words used in English language. The younger generation has imbibed it not knowing the ill effects that will shadow them all their lives. Diction hasturned bad to worse. Communication skills ie communication using English devoid of slangs has become poor.. Hand writing is hardly legible as the keyboard has substituted our fingers.

Pornographic sites have titillated the adoloscent minds in the wrong direction. Chatting has turned vulgar with people using abusive language. Infact chatting is so infectious that many a student have secured low grades as they are addicted to chatting. Computers have bestowed upon us accuracy and efficiency. Computer professionals in top notch companies earn a handsome pay packet along with complementary gifts too in the form of backaches and headache Hectic a. Hectic schedule coupled with working round the clock in the same position has escalated backache and related problems. Nil mobility and brain drain has become the rule of the day. The ones with matter grey matter stay and the rest are shown out the way.. Today more number of companies rely on computerized knowledge than on the human brain. The result is what we see very commonly all around. Acute unemployment and a number of pessimists with a defeated attitude and a wrong approach towards life. The prime reason is that man is now considered an incubus and a drain on the company’s profit.

Nuclear technology of late has declared it’s presence in our lives. It serves as a boon as well as a curse to humanity depending on how we use it. On the brighter side it can be used for multi purposes like heating, generation of electricity, domestic and industrial purposes. On the darker side it is being used to produce atom bombs, hydrogen bombs and other kinds of weapons of mass destruction which are a threat to the existence of mankind. It was the abuse of nuclear technology that renderd lakhs of people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki crippled. Thousands died and a number of them suffered in agony. Not long, ago we all know about the BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY. The day when thousands were destined to die. Those who slept, slept forever and those who did not perish existed as a living carcass. Both these incidents throw light on the stark reality of nuclear technology. The bombing of the two cities not only ripped the people of their clothes but humanity. The gory incident is now a history to the world, but a living reality to the people of those cities even today. Generations were born mutated and with different kinds of genetic disorders. These incidents paralysed the people not only physically but also mentally.
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Biotechnilogy and Chemical technology are two new booming fields. Genetics is being studied and applied much more than ever before. Principles of genetics is being studied thoroughly to give solutions to many genetic disorders. It helps us to learn about biomolecules of pedagogical importance such as proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates etc. Chemical technology helps us to understand the mechanism of various reactions and in predictions of unknown reactions. It assists us in designing chemical plants in industries producing chemical products.. It is sad to know that it is the same technology which is being used to produce biological weapons and chemical warfare are rising.

School is the temple of education. Gone are the days where gurukul system was followed. Today home work, projects and presentations are all done on the computer. Thanks to technology we need not involve ourselves in painstaking research work to prepare our projects Though it has proved to be a boon it has made students unimaginative, rotund as they are lazy,less creative as everything is readily available to them. Seeing is believing and this is an universal truth. With the advent of better technology more number of schools are using audio visual techniques to make a firm impact on the minds of students. This has been proved scientifically too that what we see stays in our mind for a longer period than just reading.

Technology has enabled us to know about the world and other places far away from us The media and the fourth estate provide us with breaking news and other related information. With a number of channels flooding the idiot box we can choose or discard what we want. The fourth estate has contributed a lot to the society . Journalists work round the clock to provide us with the latest information on any topic. But at the same time we also have people indulging in yellow journalism which is like a black spot on the clean white journalism.

Technology has turned fiction into reality. It has enabled people to strive hard and achieve the impossible. The sky is not the limit. Technology has strengthened the intellectual fabric of the human strata. It is the human brain that has achieved the pinnacle of success in myriad fields but at the same time it is the human brain that has invented weapons of mass destruction that are a threat to the existence of humanity. We can never understand the stark reality if we view the world through rose tinted glasses. Technology has it’s set of pros and cons and it is our duty to analyse this and use it for the benefit of humanity.