Will Technology Save or Destroy Humanity?

BY SOFO ARCHON

Technology is often seen as humanity’s savior. But what if it’s actually leading us toward self-destruction?

That’s the question I explore in this video.

Transcript

I remember, years ago, I used to be very excited about new technological advancements. But now, I’m not anymore.

Although I admire the human ingenuity to create amazing new technologies, I find that technology is used mostly for destructive purposes or in harmful ways.

A great example of that is the fact that, worldwide, most nations are spending tremendous amounts of money and energy on the creation of new and better weaponry. That is, weapons that can kill other people and destroy the world.

Another example is the fact that today we possess the technology to feed every single person alive. Yet, about a billion people are starving, while around 40% of global food production is being wasted.

Still another example is the fact that today we have the technology to move quickly from one place to another using automobiles. Yet more and more people are stuck in traffic every day.

So, do we really need more technology to live happier, more peaceful lives with one another, and more in alignment with the natural world? Do we need more weapons, more food, or faster cars?

Not really. Yet some people believe that we do. Some people think that only technology is going to save us—that only technology is going to help us deal with the problems at hand. Or, if it doesn’t do that, at least it can help us avoid those problems.

So, you have people like Elon Musk and other so-called futurists who are, for example, talking about colonizing Mars. They’re spending billions of dollars inventing technology to help us colonize Mars, instead of spending that money to help heal the Earth — the only planet we know that contains the ideal conditions for us to live in and thrive.

Technology is not going to save us from ourselves. Only we can do that. And we can do that by changing the way we live—and that includes the way we use technology.

More and better technology means more power in our hands. And if we are living in destructive ways, then more and better technology means having more power to destroy the world.

All past civilizations perished—partly because of the way they used technology. If we—and when I say we, I mean our global interconnected civilization—continue to live this way, then I think our civilization is not going to be the exception.