Passing the Torch

The rate of human technological evolution has been exceptionally rapid, and there have been no signs of its impending slowdown. Many ages have ushered society with new means for improving work-flow efficiency, from the industrial revolution to the modern information age. Moore's law, which roughly states that computing power doubles every two years, remains intact decades after its inception. If anything, our technological progress seems to be gaining speed.

With increased efficiency, however, also comes increased luxury, and this is not always beneficial. The structure of today's society is highly complicated, and depends upon the hard work of many individuals to keep it functioning smoothly. The luxuries that society's evolution affords can fall into the hands of those unwilling to repay those that created them. We can be too easily seduced by our embarrassment of riches and neglect the world which shaped them.

But where does the blame fall? Not on those slothfully exploiting technology, but on the technology itself. Television and video games are often considered some of society's evils, guilty for a range of problems; from the obesity epidemic to acts of violence, we are blinded by our virtues, unwilling to accept our vices. In an attempt to combat this, some politicians try to bring in legislation restricting access to such content. They are after entirely the wrong target. Rather than enforce restrictions, we should support moderation and education. Rules and regulations are established in an attempt to prevent exceptional cases; not everyone desires to go out and wreak havoc in vehicular accidents, but occasionally drunk drivers do. There is nothing inherently evil about a motor vehicle, only people. Censorship is not an effective, nor a necessary or sufficient way to save ourselves from societal problems. Our efforts would be more effectively employed educating people in the use of this content, and managing its use as part of their lives.

How can we educate society about these issues? This is not a trivial problem, and cannot be solved over a short time-frame. It is a long term commitment that requires a large degree of cooperation between all facets of our society, from educators, to parents, to law-makers. They all need to promote awareness of the issues that we face; understanding the problem is the first step to finding the solution. They need to encourage balance in all the different aspects of our lives, and they need to create a strong foundation for the sustainable development of these attitudes well into the future.