What does the Human Future Hold for Us?

Whether technology is to be embraced or if humans should strive for simplicity is constantly in the forefront of the human mind. One hundred and forty-nine years ago, when the first railroad was completed, a new technological era was beginning to start. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call to his assistant Thomas Watson, an event that changed the course of human history. Shortly after in 1885, Karl Benz took the first drive in his new technological invention, the Three Wheeled Motorwagen.

As evidenced by history, technology has been a part of the human life for many years. While technology can in some ways harm the environment and human body, overall, technology can make life simpler, maintain sustainability in the environment, and help the economy. All in all, technology is the answer. Technological advances will continue to develop as time goes on, and will be the future for the world.

Many people say that without technology a person’s life would be easier and simpler, when really technology was created to make ones daily life less complicated. For example, the smartphone was created to have all the communication necessities such as, texting, calling, and video chat, all in one appliance. In ¨Less Stuff, More Happiness¨ Graham Hill mentions his project ¨Life Edited¨. His point to this project was to buy less space and have more room by combining furniture into one solo appliance, the ¨moving wall¨. As this wall does create a more simplistic option, it needs the technology to make it successful. A dining table will not become a bed in a single press with using only two fingers without a source of power. Thanks to Benjamin Franklin, who discovered electricity, it is now possible to do so. Basically, technology is what is making less space and simpler living styles possible for the human race. If one were to get rid of technology, they would be living a much more intricate and complex life.

The environment provides the world’s natural resources and services. Without these resources, humans could be in danger. Technology is needed in the ecosystem to decrease material inputs and minimize waste disposal problems. Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that life revolved around nature and that nature itself alters the human brain. However, he did see a use for technology to be helpful. He blatantly states in an excerpt from one of his works ¨Nature¨, ¨Yet it is certain that the power to produce this delight, does not reside in nature, but in man… It is necessary to use these pleasures with great restraint¨ (Emerson 390). Ralph Waldo Emerson is providing his opinion on how nature is the most important aspect of life, but to get to the ¨greatest delight¨ an influence of moderated human pleasure is needed. The term, pleasure, is loosely left to be discovered by oneself. For people now living in the twenty-first century, their pleasure is technology. So, future should allow for technology to continue to develop, to guarantee that nature will continue to grow. As aforementioned nature is an important factor in a healthy lifestyle for people and without technology, where would nature be? Unhealthy, unaesthetic, useless, and lost are the key characteristics of an uninfluenced environment.

Another reason as to why, technology is to be a part of human future is because it has already been introduced into the daily life of people all around the world. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 95% of all Americans own a cellphone of some kind (¨Mobile Fact Sheet¨). This goes to show how dependent the economy is on technological advancements. Progress and Service are two of the most important factors when it comes to economy. In ¨Walden: Ballad of Thoreau¨ Rachel, the girl brought in to show the opposing side of living all alone in the woods, brings the topic of question to the table. Rachel points out that Thoreau is using his father’s pencil as he is writing, expressing his feelings for progress when her lines read ¨You’re blind to destruction¨ (Michael Johnathon). She is trying to prove that destruction is beneficial and not all harm. Technology has allowed for grand amounts of progress for the economy and provided multiple jobs as well. If people were to try to get rid of the use of technology, the economy would start to fail. A failed economy cannot only fail the conflicted area by having less job opportunities, but it can also cause a major increase of taxes or price on necessities. Parting with technology over a long period may cause a possibility of job loss because machinery could achieve the goal of success, but in the long run the technology has been greatly beneficial for the economy and can only continue to grow from this point forward.

Over the past one hundred years, the growth, and spread of technology has increased. Even though technology itself is not a man, man and technology together have created a world that is strong economically, eco-friendly, and straightforward. Living close to nature gave all transcendental writers a feel of confidence and an eye opening for what was to come. However, some did give into industrialization at some point. Thoreau did leave his trip to Walden Pond two years, two months, and two days later to go work at his dad’s business. There are pros and cons to technology, just as there are pros and cons to living closer with nature. As reasoned above technology has proven to be highly valuable and profitable, rather than less productive and harmful. There are clearly two sides to this argument. The question is, what is yours? 

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