Tuesday
May262009
Technology: Addiction or Saviour?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 1:13AM | Share Article
I would like to share a recent personal experience involving my 23 year
old step-son. Please bear with me as it will tie into the theme
of this blog, I promise (I hope). My step-son is (or should say
was) still living at home, not paying rent, not going to school and
working only part time. Apparently having no drive, no career
aspirations and addicted to video games, I realized I had no choice but
to kick him out of the house.
Not being the confrontational type, I found it to be a difficult situation. Thus he managed to last a full 5 years living at home beyond the norm in Canada, the age of 18 being the age kids are normally kicked out of the house if not attending school. In my step-son's case he had an excuse, he was an immigrant who had to learn English. However after 6 years of life in Canada he was still learning the language and unable to support himself.
Why am I telling you all of this? Well, you see my step-son has a problem. He is addicted to video games. He is an addict because it has impaired his ability to function in life. Most often, addicts don't recognize they have a problem until they hit absolute rock bottom. In his case, maybe living in a shelter will bring him to his senses. I won't know, I don't take his phone calls.
But is it really just my step-son who has a problem? Let's think about this. Am I not addicted to technology? I drive my car everywhere. I watch my 42" plasma display TV every night. I surf the web using my 3GHz pentium with 24" widescreen display. But I NEED these items. I really do. I wouldn't be able to function without them. And so do the billions of other people who have computers, cars, TVs, iPODs, ... We all need technology.
You see I am applying a double standard. My step-son is addicted to video games so I took action. I am addicted to technology but I am complacent. I have turned a blind eye to my own addiction. The truth is that I don't need technology and in fact technology may very well be destroying our planet. So yes, we (you and me) have a problem. We are addicted to technology.
If we are addicted then there must
be a choice. Well yes there is. I used to live in
Southern Ontario, home of thousands of old-order mennonites. They
essentially rejected technology, use horse and buggy to get around,
where black clothes only...
Now if the 6 billion people on this planet consciously agree to give up technology and live like mennonites then we would be a long way to solving our environmental problems. But this is unrealistic of course.
So the question becomes: can technology itself rescue us from our technology addiction?
We have a race against time. If we can prevent the destruction of our planet by use of technology then it is no longer a problem and hence not an addiction. (I think).
Not being the confrontational type, I found it to be a difficult situation. Thus he managed to last a full 5 years living at home beyond the norm in Canada, the age of 18 being the age kids are normally kicked out of the house if not attending school. In my step-son's case he had an excuse, he was an immigrant who had to learn English. However after 6 years of life in Canada he was still learning the language and unable to support himself.
Why am I telling you all of this? Well, you see my step-son has a problem. He is addicted to video games. He is an addict because it has impaired his ability to function in life. Most often, addicts don't recognize they have a problem until they hit absolute rock bottom. In his case, maybe living in a shelter will bring him to his senses. I won't know, I don't take his phone calls.
But is it really just my step-son who has a problem? Let's think about this. Am I not addicted to technology? I drive my car everywhere. I watch my 42" plasma display TV every night. I surf the web using my 3GHz pentium with 24" widescreen display. But I NEED these items. I really do. I wouldn't be able to function without them. And so do the billions of other people who have computers, cars, TVs, iPODs, ... We all need technology.
But do we really need technology or do we want technology?
You see I am applying a double standard. My step-son is addicted to video games so I took action. I am addicted to technology but I am complacent. I have turned a blind eye to my own addiction. The truth is that I don't need technology and in fact technology may very well be destroying our planet. So yes, we (you and me) have a problem. We are addicted to technology.
If we are addicted then there must
be a choice. Well yes there is. I used to live in
Southern Ontario, home of thousands of old-order mennonites. They
essentially rejected technology, use horse and buggy to get around,
where black clothes only...Now if the 6 billion people on this planet consciously agree to give up technology and live like mennonites then we would be a long way to solving our environmental problems. But this is unrealistic of course.
So the question becomes: can technology itself rescue us from our technology addiction?
We have a race against time. If we can prevent the destruction of our planet by use of technology then it is no longer a problem and hence not an addiction. (I think).