Why do we keep on moving forward? Why can't technology move backwards? Wouldn't that make life simpler? Many people may not be able to live without a computer or the internet. But think about it, without these things, we can spend more time with the people around us. We can engage in real, meaningful conversations and not just typing on the keyboard. I don't know how much of my life is wasted in front of the computer like now. And what do I really get out of it except strained eyes?
Without advanced technology, we can sleep when it is night-time instead of having to work because it is office hour in another part of the globe and we have to cater to other peoples' needs. Sleeping is such an underrated activity. Many so called successful people think that sleeping is a waste of time because they want to do as many things as possible with a limited amount of time. The amount of things you can do is unlimited, but your lifespan is limited. So why not sleep when it's time to sleep instead of trying to achieve an impossible task? To those who say that nothing is impossible, then why is the word invented in the first place? Even if you don't close your eyes for a second throughout your entire life, you will not be able to finish all your tasks, because there is no end to work.
If technology is less advanced, we will have less vehicles and people will be healthier since they have to walk or run to get to their destination. Obesity won't be an issue and diseases related to obesity will be greatly reduced. Furthermore, fewer people and animals will be killed in road accidents.
Animals are the greatest victims of mankind's progress. When we build roads and run vehicles through them, animals who try to cross the road inevitably get killed, some at the first attempt, some after numerous attempts. When biomedical research has to be done on some drugs to cure diseases, the drugs are first tested on animals like lab rats to observe the side effects, some of which are fatal. The worse victims are those animals involved in factory farming. Animals are treated like tools from which we can make money out of and when there's money to be made, people forget that these animals are living things and can feel pain. Lives are created (through breeding) and ended in a painful way so that the container of the souls can be exchanged for money. Other examples of how animals are exploited include skinning them to get their fur, which is the most sickening thing I have ever heard of. I don't even dare to watch the videos after hearing of how it's done and I wonder how a human being with a conscience can perform an act like that.
As technology advances, humans live longer and mortality rates are lower. The population of the world keeps on increasing and there are more mouths to feed, more diseases to cure, more roads to be built and more fur/leather products to be made. I wonder if anyone has done a survey (if it can be done at all) to count the average number of lives taken by a particular species of animal during their lifespan. My guess is that on the top of this list will be human beings, even if we do not take into consideration the number of homicides and suicides and any other form of killing where the victim is a human. Even the most ferocious of beasts have to hunt their own preys and it is unlikely that they will have a meal every day. On the other hand, thanks (or no thanks) to technology, food is in abundance for human beings because animals are raised in bulk worldwide and slaughtered every single day (maybe every single minute or second) so that human can have their pork and mutton and chicken and beef and (you name it). Therefore, it is no surprise that in one day, a man can take more lives than a lion, a tiger, a leopard or even all three of them put together on average (though ironically, he certainly has no chance of survival against either one of them).
What attributes distinguishes human beings from animals? What is humanity?
From dictionary.com :
Without advanced technology, we can sleep when it is night-time instead of having to work because it is office hour in another part of the globe and we have to cater to other peoples' needs. Sleeping is such an underrated activity. Many so called successful people think that sleeping is a waste of time because they want to do as many things as possible with a limited amount of time. The amount of things you can do is unlimited, but your lifespan is limited. So why not sleep when it's time to sleep instead of trying to achieve an impossible task? To those who say that nothing is impossible, then why is the word invented in the first place? Even if you don't close your eyes for a second throughout your entire life, you will not be able to finish all your tasks, because there is no end to work.
If technology is less advanced, we will have less vehicles and people will be healthier since they have to walk or run to get to their destination. Obesity won't be an issue and diseases related to obesity will be greatly reduced. Furthermore, fewer people and animals will be killed in road accidents.
Animals are the greatest victims of mankind's progress. When we build roads and run vehicles through them, animals who try to cross the road inevitably get killed, some at the first attempt, some after numerous attempts. When biomedical research has to be done on some drugs to cure diseases, the drugs are first tested on animals like lab rats to observe the side effects, some of which are fatal. The worse victims are those animals involved in factory farming. Animals are treated like tools from which we can make money out of and when there's money to be made, people forget that these animals are living things and can feel pain. Lives are created (through breeding) and ended in a painful way so that the container of the souls can be exchanged for money. Other examples of how animals are exploited include skinning them to get their fur, which is the most sickening thing I have ever heard of. I don't even dare to watch the videos after hearing of how it's done and I wonder how a human being with a conscience can perform an act like that.
As technology advances, humans live longer and mortality rates are lower. The population of the world keeps on increasing and there are more mouths to feed, more diseases to cure, more roads to be built and more fur/leather products to be made. I wonder if anyone has done a survey (if it can be done at all) to count the average number of lives taken by a particular species of animal during their lifespan. My guess is that on the top of this list will be human beings, even if we do not take into consideration the number of homicides and suicides and any other form of killing where the victim is a human. Even the most ferocious of beasts have to hunt their own preys and it is unlikely that they will have a meal every day. On the other hand, thanks (or no thanks) to technology, food is in abundance for human beings because animals are raised in bulk worldwide and slaughtered every single day (maybe every single minute or second) so that human can have their pork and mutton and chicken and beef and (you name it). Therefore, it is no surprise that in one day, a man can take more lives than a lion, a tiger, a leopard or even all three of them put together on average (though ironically, he certainly has no chance of survival against either one of them).
What attributes distinguishes human beings from animals? What is humanity?
From dictionary.com :
- Humanity: the quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence
- Humane: characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals, esp. for the suffering or distressed.
Somehow, I think these definitions make a mockery of mankind seeing how animals, and sometimes other human beings, are exploited. I have seen examples of animals being more humane than human beings. For example, in this age and day, the probability of your dog sticking with you when you are old and sick is higher than the probability of your children doing the same thing. I will say the main attribute that separates human from animals is intelligence. Intelligence has helped man to built tools for his own benefit and made him the dominant species in this world that he is today. However, does having a superior intelligence give one species the authority to exploit another species for his own benefits? If the answer is yes, then by the same reasoning, a more intelligent person can also exploit a less intelligent person for his own benefit. Well, come to think of it, I think this is already happening in this world. One example may be a con job, where the conman being the more intelligent person, cons his victim (who is obviously of inferior intelligence or else he wouldn't have been fooled). Another example is a boss of a company who makes his workers work long hours for meager pay so that his company can make a lot of money. Again the intelligence of the workers are assumed to be inferior or else they would have found a better job. So maybe it's just how life should be? Survival of the fittest as in Darwinian theory?
Anyway, back to the point, these kinds of exploitation is nothing compared to how human beings exploit animals. So if one day, all these animals that are reared for food or hunted for their body parts become extinct and there are only human beings left in this world, will it be justifiable for the more intelligent human beings to lock the less intelligent ones in cages with poor living conditions, let them mate and give birth to children, before killing the children for their flesh or organs and then dumping the mother aside to die once she cannot give birth to any more children? If the answer is yes, I fear for the future of mankind. If the answer is no, then by the same logic, a more intelligent species should not be doing the same thing to a less intelligent species either. If the answer is "I don't know", then maybe it's something worth thinking about.
Some of my views may be a bit extreme and to be fair, I have known of men and women who are compassionate and really humane. To clarify, I am not a vegetarian myself though I try my best to eat vegetarian food when I have access to them. I feel guilty for the animals that have suffered every time I eat meat. Therefore, when I refer to human beings, I am referring to myself as well. Maybe I have lost my point but what I am trying to say is that the advancement of technology and the progress of mankind has made the lives of other species much much more miserable without actually benefitting mankind greatly. Are we happier now in front of our computers (or iPhone or Blackberry for that matter) than if we were born a century ago without all these? Personally, I feel that life should be simple and right now, things are way too complicated with all the money and competition. Wouldn't it be nice if we could roll back time or rather, roll back technology and everything is simple yet again? We will not be facing the stress that we are facing right now and more importantly, other animals can enjoy their torture-free lives. Sadly, this sounds like something only Doraemon can help me with.
Human beings are progressing by leaps and bounds in terms of technological advancement and I wonder where is the pinnacle? Science fiction of the past is becoming reality of the present and the human brain is so amazing and powerful that I can't help but feel that it is the only thing that can bring down the human race itself, ironic though it may be. Will human beings be the victims of their own quest for knowledge and power? As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss....
Anyway, back to the point, these kinds of exploitation is nothing compared to how human beings exploit animals. So if one day, all these animals that are reared for food or hunted for their body parts become extinct and there are only human beings left in this world, will it be justifiable for the more intelligent human beings to lock the less intelligent ones in cages with poor living conditions, let them mate and give birth to children, before killing the children for their flesh or organs and then dumping the mother aside to die once she cannot give birth to any more children? If the answer is yes, I fear for the future of mankind. If the answer is no, then by the same logic, a more intelligent species should not be doing the same thing to a less intelligent species either. If the answer is "I don't know", then maybe it's something worth thinking about.
Some of my views may be a bit extreme and to be fair, I have known of men and women who are compassionate and really humane. To clarify, I am not a vegetarian myself though I try my best to eat vegetarian food when I have access to them. I feel guilty for the animals that have suffered every time I eat meat. Therefore, when I refer to human beings, I am referring to myself as well. Maybe I have lost my point but what I am trying to say is that the advancement of technology and the progress of mankind has made the lives of other species much much more miserable without actually benefitting mankind greatly. Are we happier now in front of our computers (or iPhone or Blackberry for that matter) than if we were born a century ago without all these? Personally, I feel that life should be simple and right now, things are way too complicated with all the money and competition. Wouldn't it be nice if we could roll back time or rather, roll back technology and everything is simple yet again? We will not be facing the stress that we are facing right now and more importantly, other animals can enjoy their torture-free lives. Sadly, this sounds like something only Doraemon can help me with.
Human beings are progressing by leaps and bounds in terms of technological advancement and I wonder where is the pinnacle? Science fiction of the past is becoming reality of the present and the human brain is so amazing and powerful that I can't help but feel that it is the only thing that can bring down the human race itself, ironic though it may be. Will human beings be the victims of their own quest for knowledge and power? As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss....
