Michael Laitman on the Times of Israel: “Is Technology Detrimental?”
Technology serves us with medical breakthroughs saving lives and innovations that aid our professions and our day-to-day living. However, much technological progress wreaks havoc, as it goes into making more and more sophisticated ways of killing, hurting and exploiting people.
How can we then make sure technology benefits us?
On one hand, we are far beyond advocating for stopping technological advances and regressing to a primitive form of existence. We do, however, need to revise the ways in which we take the reins of technological development, and steer our innovations responsibly. If we fail, then we can succumb to a third or a fourth world war, and we might then truly degenerate to a primitive state.
Navigating technology beneficially for humanity does not mean stifling it with rigid rules and moral constraints, which is a point that often arises in relation to this topic. It rather requires its creators and operators to continually strengthen an attitude of mutual benefit, consideration and support for one another.
We should thus encourage connection-enriching learning, showcase examples of care and kindness, learn about the altruistic and integral underpinnings of nature, and seek how we can generate an increasingly socially-cohesive atmosphere that continually fuels people with confidence and happiness.
By doing so, we can tune our attitudes to each other from our inborn self-concern to a much more mature concern for others and nature as a whole. Such a transformation is the key to ensuing a positive path forward for technology, helping us reach states of more balance among each other and with nature.
Our misuse of technological advancements originates from a heart bloated with self-interest motives, lacking the learning of the nature-set need to reach positive connection and mutual consideration among each other. We have let our divisive drives push us to exploit, abuse and manipulate each other, thus using technology to overpower and deceive others.
Therefore, if there is any fear of technology turning against us and bringing about much harm to our lives, we should seek to upgrade the attitudes of those behind technology’s development and use. When we tune our hearts to genuinely wish for the utmost benefit to other people and nature, we will then use technology in a beneficial manner.
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Question: The twelfth commandment is to bring the first fruit of the tree (Baal Hasulam, Introduction of the Book of Zohar, “The Commandments of the Torah”, paragraph 245).
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