I read a short story awhile back, that was eerily prophetic, and fore-warning of the future:
"The Machine Stops", a short science fiction story, written in 1909.
According to Wikipedia, "'The Machine Stops' describes a world in which almost all humans have lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual lives in isolation in a 'cell', with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Most humans welcome this development, as they are skeptical and fearful of first-hand experience. People forget that humans created the Machine, and treat it as a mystical entity whose needs supersede their own. Those who do not accept the deity of the Machine are viewed as 'unmechanical' and are threatened with "Homelessness". Eventually, the Machine apocalyptically collapses, and the civilization of the Machine comes to an end."
"The Machine Stops" is almost haunting in it’s prediction of the future, especially when you take into account when the story was written--well before World War I--and how little the technological advances were, even at this point. It’s predictions of communication are astounding. For instance--the ability to speak to someone on the other side of the world instantaneously--through a tablet like device. How technology ruled our lives, eventually becoming capable of doing everything for us..to the point where we forgot what life was all about. Forgetting to be spiritual..
You could see this story as the predecessor to Pixar’s “Wall-E”. How we have, and continue to, become so consumed by technology and it’s comfort, that we will become lazy..even start to worship the “machine” itself. What will be the consequences for the human race if we continue on this path of obsession with technology? Is technology the next big evolutionary step? Will it ultimately take over, control, and eventually wipe out humanity all together? These are things we shouldn't leave far from our thoughts. Not pass off as in the “future”. It’s happening now.
Don’t let technology completely rule your life.
I completely agree with you Micah. It's so amazing to just take a walk in the city and see almost everyone with mp3 players,texting on cellphones or using some kind of communication device.I've known a couple people who had to go a day without their cell phones and I genuinely saw panic in their eyes!They acted like someone had just amputated one of their appendages and were trying to figure out how to go on with their lives.
ReplyDeleteExactly Stephen.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's not to say that I'm not guilty either. I have a love-hate relationship with technology. I don't know what I'd do without it, yet I am fearful of how far that has the potential to go in the next ten/twenty years..
I can in every respect of the story see this happening. We have augmented reality begining to unfold in to our daily lives with the Kinect for the 360 and iPhone Apps that let you fight a war on your kitchen counter (via a calibration mat). It may only be so far that if this economy doesn't limit us that we will hit the maximum pace of things to come. And from that, we will become part of the machine. It's definitely amazing stories like this (I think 1984 has much to do with today) that remind us that there was brilliance then as much as there is now, maybe even more so. They at least weren't pegged every minute by absurd MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook 'news'. They were able to get outside and see how life is on this island in the cosmos.
ReplyDeleteI too am curious when this potential and perhaps nearby shift in civilization will occur, as I believe all information should be free, but does that mean, us losing our own freedom to then just become information ourselves?
It's definitely an interesting topic of discussion. I highly suggest you check out the short story if you're interested John. I think you'd really like it.
ReplyDelete