Fear of the Future

[by Stephen Z]

Progress is unpreventable. We, as the human race, leading with intelligence on our planet, are destined to become even greater beings. The desire of ours to constantly advance in technology and knowledge has not diminished throughout the various eras, as we have always yearned for a better, brighter future. Technology has become a scale of measurement to judge where we stand in progress. However, despite improving our lives through technology, we have also brought greater harm to ourselves, including pollution, diseases, and deadlier wars. The advancement in technology has resulted in several detriments, but despite how such actions taken to advance have left us with further obstacles to overcome, the benefits of technology lead us to alternative pathways to pursue the better future that lies ahead. Rather than remaining stationary in the ever-flowing river that is history, with a gamble in technological advancement we can shape ourselves a future beyond our imagination.

Cancer has become a “possessed” and contagious scare. It has been widely perpetuated as an incurable, deadly disease that takes lives of millions throughout the world every year. The cases of cancer patients have always seemed to be linked to various technological advancements, including processed foods with harmful chemicals, air pollution driven by the overuse of fossil fuels, and also lavish yet abnormal lifestyles. However, from recent research, the rate of cancer incidence has dropped nearly 15% in the last 4 years, while the mortality rate has also been steadily decreasing for the last 30 years. From these trends, technology has shown that it can affect the lives of humans negatively, but also repair and improve it at the same time. 

Undeniably, the human ventures in technology have shown to be an adventure in progress and destruction. Looking back at World War II, where “Fat Man” and “Little Boy”, the two nuclear warheads released onto the island of Japan, created a hellish nightmare, even after such devastating historical incidents, the world’s leading technological innovators used the same technology to produce more efficient and clean energy for normal households. This irony behind nuclear power plants has proven to be a step towards the “alternative pathways” to a better future, revealing the positive face of technological advancement.

Through the failures and successes of man’s past, the modern world has learnt much to build a stronger and stabler structure for any future advancements in the field of technology. Unlike the past, where trial and error was the main method in reaching a conclusion, many discoveries made today are through precise procedures, to prevent any irreversible consequences. No matter whether it’s the development of a universal panacea that may spiral out of control into a world pandemic, or the attempt to create an artificial intelligence which may become the “Terminator” of our reality, any technological advancement is a risk and could very well become a danger that threatens our very existence. Even so, if we have been able to visit the moon 17 times after investments of time and knowledge along with the sacrifices of various men and women, there should be no reason for the human race to have any serious hesitation about the advancement of technology.