Title: A curse or a blessing
A curse or a blessing
Final Draft
Today life is not what it was a few decades ago. Everything is evolving around us, including ourselves. We no longer resemble the people of the past; we are people of a different identity. Speaking of identity, many things in this century have influenced it; for instance, technology which has been evolving and still is to this very second. It may seem ridiculous, but technology is the oxygen of the 21st century. It has been a curse that our ancestors were fortunate not to catch and we were damned with it for eternity.
Many may argue that technology has improved our means of connection and communication. Truly before technology, we were connected in a rather primitive way. Sending a letter or even a “telegraph” to a dear person might have taken weeks or even months to reach if we were back in the past. Although, it may seem extreme today waiting for that long time to get a message from a loved one, I find it rather amusing, even exciting. Our relationships were stronger and more stable back then. We no longer communicate naturally. Human interaction seems like a very cumbersome job to do. We no longer actually meet up like before with friends and family, and if we do we are always busy with our smartphones, ipads,etc. According to an article published by happinessinthisworld.com, “Making our meaning clear electronically presents extra challenges. For example, we write things like “LOL” and “LMAO” to describe our laughter, but they’re no real substitute for hearing people laugh, which has real power to lift our spirits when we’re feeling low.” This is exactly what we’re suffering from. We are now electronic beings sharing our feelings , problems, and even daily life to close ones through worthless devices and tons of social media. Technology may have improved connections between us, but it has destroyed one of the most beautiful things that define us, our relationships. The image I get of a 21st century family is a bunch of people who are physically together yet mentally absent. Technology may have brought people together, yet it has driven loved ones away.
Another disturbing thing we tend to leave in the back of our minds is the health dilemmas that technology presents. According to a leading psychiatrist, Internet addiction is now a serious public health issue that should be officially recognised as a clinical disorder. Yes, internet addiction is a “disease” that many of us unfortunately suffer from. Excessive gaming, viewing online pornography, emailing and text messaging have been identified as causes of a compulsive-impulsive disorder by Dr Jerald Block, author of an editorial for the respected American Journal of Psychiatry. People who spend hours in front of the computer (either at work or leisure) are prone to asthenopia. It became a habit to listen music on headphones as loud possible, to cover all the surrounding noises. After several years of such treatment, your hearing will start loosing its capabilities. This disease occurs to people who are sitting for more than 8 hours a day. Basically, you are slowing the blood flow to the legs. This disease is manifested by the appearance of a blood clot in leg veins. Another quite shocking disease is Orthorexia which is actually a healthy food obsession. The latest bombardment of warnings about extremely dangerous chemicals found in food turned many people to be obsessed with healthy and environmentally friendly foods. As a result, a growing number of people come to create their own highly restrictive diets and, in fact, do more harm than good physically. These are just a few of what technology has to offer our health !
Technology is developing day by day and it seems that all of us are quite enjoying the evolution. However, has it never occurred to you that technology is developing way too fast for our minds to comprehend. The instant you get a new technology , there is a newer one somewhere around the world. Something else people may find frivolous is that technology turned into somewhat of an addiction. Many of us actually suffer from that and cant go a day without technology. Life seems so much difficult without it. An ironic picture I found while browsing facebook was of the evolution of man and how we are actually returning to the cave people we were thousands of years ago, and all this is thanks to technology.
One of the basic lessons life teaches us is that nothing’s perfect. We cant have it all unfortunately. Technology is a living example of this! Although no one can deny the fact that technology has changed our lives in so many good ways, it has came along with its consequences. I’d rather live in a time of no technology as crazy as it sounds.
Number of words: 809
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