In the pandemonium that we call 'progress', humans are perhaps losing the ability to discern the depth of things. We are becoming so obsessed with getting 'results' that we compromise the very process leading to it! Ever wondered why reading books is becoming a lost cult ? Perhaps because 400 pages of mental scanning has become too time-consuming for the modern brain. A 'yes', 'no' or just a 'tick' could fetch more credit than well explained cogent answers. Individual research heavily relies on instant 'googling' rather than 'reading' fundamental work. Most of the times Google directs one to a more 'popular' document rather than a more 'accurate' document. The deviation though not certain, is highly probable. Hence, inaccurate research(which is worse than no research). Wikipedia, which is the most common source of information (even for someone genuinely researching a topic) is vulnerable to malicious misinformation. Anyone can 'edit' any topic in wiki and 'save' the change, to instantly make that (mis)information available to the world.
As the human race cruises on the Autobahn of time, the Human mind could be making its own adjustments to cope with the paucity of the same. The part of the human mind which chewed on books , memorized mathematical tables, drew topographical maps, recited verses could be the next rudimentary tail. Soon, holding the pen could stop becoming an involuntary process. Typing with 10 finger could become one. The desire to see and hear loved ones could be replaced by a time set actuator in an audio-visual gadget which automatically connects to a similar device on the other end. In such a world where things are becoming increasingly ephemeral, i wonder, if the art-of-forgetting will become an evolving trait of the human brain?
Will childhood memories be cherished, since they would only remind us of what's obsolete. Will friendship matter, since the circles of friends would only be crazy Venn diagrams of social networking websites? Will parents matter, since they would have only taught us what's 'value'less in the present? Will teachers who taught us subjects matter, because those subjects could become instantly pre-historic; besides, the Internet could teach us more with its 'plethorapedias'?
All progress comes at a price. Some prices outweigh the progress itself. The Little Boy and the Fat Man stand testimony to that. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, The Gulf Oil Spill are all casualties of driving on the Autobahn. Sometimes it is prudent to slow down, just a bit.
Albert Einstein once said (after World War-II)
" I know not with what weapons World War-III will be fought, but World War-IV will be fought with sticks and stones "
Change could very well be the only thing that is constant. However, a thing constantly changing has a very high probability of returning where it started. Beware of the planet of the apes !
As the human race cruises on the Autobahn of time, the Human mind could be making its own adjustments to cope with the paucity of the same. The part of the human mind which chewed on books , memorized mathematical tables, drew topographical maps, recited verses could be the next rudimentary tail. Soon, holding the pen could stop becoming an involuntary process. Typing with 10 finger could become one. The desire to see and hear loved ones could be replaced by a time set actuator in an audio-visual gadget which automatically connects to a similar device on the other end. In such a world where things are becoming increasingly ephemeral, i wonder, if the art-of-forgetting will become an evolving trait of the human brain?
Will childhood memories be cherished, since they would only remind us of what's obsolete. Will friendship matter, since the circles of friends would only be crazy Venn diagrams of social networking websites? Will parents matter, since they would have only taught us what's 'value'less in the present? Will teachers who taught us subjects matter, because those subjects could become instantly pre-historic; besides, the Internet could teach us more with its 'plethorapedias'?
All progress comes at a price. Some prices outweigh the progress itself. The Little Boy and the Fat Man stand testimony to that. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, The Gulf Oil Spill are all casualties of driving on the Autobahn. Sometimes it is prudent to slow down, just a bit.
Albert Einstein once said (after World War-II)
" I know not with what weapons World War-III will be fought, but World War-IV will be fought with sticks and stones "
Change could very well be the only thing that is constant. However, a thing constantly changing has a very high probability of returning where it started. Beware of the planet of the apes !
