It is high time we learn to use technology for the common good and not misuse it for our selfish motives. By Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj
The world has witnessed numerous revolutions in the past century. Of these, the most prominent ones that have marked the march of civilisation before the 20th century are the agricultural and industrial revolution. With advent of the 21st century, the world is witnessing the most powerful and life-changing revolution through the information highway, termed information revolution.
The Internet is being branded as a technology of freedom and is being praised for its egalitarian trait. The cyber revolution, as it is called by the analysts, has, for all practical purposes, abolished distance and and shrunk the world to make a boundary-less landscape.
The impact of this technology is so strong on our life that today it is nearly impossible to imagine how reality would look like. Indeed it’s a factual dilemma that many parents and teachers are facing with youngsters who are living more in a virtual world rather then a real one. However, in our optimism about the bright future through technological advancement, we tend to ignore certain ground realities about the limitations of the power of this technology.
We are living in a world where over a billion people still live in abysmal poverty. This reality raises an important question that, can these new information technologies be considered as technologies of freedom or are they mere weapon of destabilisation and degenerationIJ It is said that technology was invented to aid humanity but today we see something else. Technological advancement that was meant to empower the society has instead created an unequal configuration of world society.
There is no denial to the fact that the Internet indeed offers the promise of better information, easier communication and an enhanced sense of community on paper. But can it be trusted to democratise societiesIJ That’s a big question because with all its benefits, there is also a much darker side to this magical technology which is very scary and highly catastrophic.
One of the major drawbacks of the Internet is that it’s an open platform,where there is no differentiation for age. The threat of constant connectivity has robbed humanity of its privacy because there is constant fear in people’s mind of being clicked or getting shot by anybody with their mobile camera or spy cameras.
Today, the powerful nations of the world use information warfare techniques extensively by way of surfing Internet day and night to grind up and dissect the information moving over it to misinform people, loot databases and electronic correspondence and endanger our elementary liberty to communicate freely. Similarly, these sophisticated techniques are also used by rebels, terrorists and other forces.
If we sit down and think rationally, then we would realise that actually, it is not the Internet but its misuse and abuse which is to be blamed for the emerging ills in society. We should remember that all technological advancement, including the cyber dimension of human development, lacks understanding of true identity and nature of the inner self which has led to boundless greed, ego and lust in human relationships. As a result, today the entire human race is paying heavily for its ignorance.
The solution lies in bringing about a spiritual awakening that gives the realisation that as eternal souls, we all are spiritual brothers who have one and the same eternal parent, the Supreme soul. This realisation would help us to interact with each other with love and compassion and use the technological marvels of our times for the common good of all.