I think it is fair to say technology is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing being able to instantly communicate with others (most of the time!) although if you work and are oncall, then perhaps not; being able to shop online, do your banking and so on… I won’t bore you anymore with the ongoing list. The point is though, at what point does technology lose its usefulness and become a curse? Are you fed up with looking at your smart phone 10 hours a day? Worrying about losing or breaking it – infact some peoples lives would literally implode without theirs being available. Once upon a time, technology was sold and marketed as being helpful. And we all know it is…however, when you end up living in a world that is so complicated you cannot survive without it, then you realise that perhaps the technology or use of it has enslaved us. For example, pity help anyone in the UK trying to get into a pub or restaurant without the the NHS track and trace application on their (smart) phone soon … Is that really an ideal use of technology for a democratic liberal country? Not really. Likewise trying to do your banking; lots of branches have closed down now…you have to travel 25 miles or more to get to a ‘local’ branch. Welcome to the future – the one where the technology you have bought and paid for takes away your freedom and is used to enslave you. My recommendation to anyone out there is to keep up with technology if you can, but seek out a life whereby you can survive without it. Simplicity is best,where you can get the necessary basics with no reliance on it; i.e. water, food, warmth, shelter… enjoy exploring ways to do that.
Free speech in an age of censorship