Technology explosion: are we caught unaware?
By Abdul Rauf
ISLAMABAD, July 24, 2010: With almost no progress in the field of scientific research and technology, we have very successfully become a complete consumers’ society. Getting hold of all the latest gadgets with the sheer ability of our purchase power is a matter of pride and satisfaction for us. But do we, as a society, morally qualify to use such products? Are we groomed accordingly and wise enough to make a positive use of what we have with complete awareness of our social, moral and legal retrospect?
Ghulam Mustafa, a retired bureaucrat, said, “We did not hand over any technology to our kids. They are born in a time where technology is showered on everyone like rainfall -- irrespective of the age and culture. We elders have some sense of right and wrong but we are slow learners -- not fully aware of what technology can do. On the other hand, our youngsters are quick to explore and learn all the possible uses of the devices but they are not mature enough to avoid the downside.”
Our youngsters keep awake all night to avail late night call packages, cell phone cameras are used in educational institutions and public places to take photographs of females -- further hurdling their movement, internet is used to acquire the first position among the porn-surfing nations -- is this what science has offered us? We have access to all the latest devices available in the world but we seem to lose something very important. Our moral, social, and cultural values have either not been transferred to our youngsters or they have refused to live according to the norms and traditions of this society.
Uzma Qayyum, a mother of two and a working lady said while talking to INFN, “Parents are more than happy for providing every modern gadget to their kids, including mobile phones, computers etc, but they are too busy to share any cultural values and wisdom with their kids. We are handing over luxuries to our kids on the cost of our values and traditions. However our youngsters are living in their own time, they will adjust according to their own time and space”
Dr. Shahid Saghir, a teacher by profession says, “We have a tendency to import everything -- be it anything ranging from a sewing needle to the Premiers. We have blindly imported and adopted every sort of technology and still we wish to live according to our indigenous culture. It’s nothing but a wishful thinking.”
Every invention is a result of the need that a way of living demands. When a nation progresses with absolute awareness and control over the course of development in a particular field, its socio-cultural values also change to handle every technology and to get maximum out of it in a positive way. Our research and technological progress stays still in some previous century so does our way of living. As a result, our society has failed miserably to educate and train our youngsters the positive use of the latest scientific miracles and avoid the negative side. The bombardment of ‘alien’ devices will continue like this, but we need to progress in every field especially the filed of science and technology as the only way to re-knit our social fabric according to our own traditions and values.