Is Technology Hurting Us?

Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution the progress of man has moved rapidly ahead to create an almost science fiction-like world. To the founding fathers of America, we would appear to be almost god-like in our technological advances. We can talk to anyone on Earth, and sometimes even off Earth, with the push of a few buttons. Within this age of innovation, we can do many things that were impossible for colonial society. But for all this progress, society is now weaker in many ways. We have become dependent on our creations, taken a chunk out of our ecosystem, and generally mucked things up a bit. We have to ask ourselves if progress is worth the price. Certain human achievements may actually set the race back if we're not careful.

Since the mid 1990's, technology has grown by leaps and bounds. With computers, complex weapons systems, and corporate funded pop tours that have more bells and whistles than a New Year's Eve party in London, we have come a very long way from Ben and his kite. Yes, electricity is everywhere, in the kitchen, the playroom, and even the bedroom. Since 1996, the demand for electricity has increased 25% in California alone. This is mostly because of California's dominance in every industry except cheese and whiskey. As a result of these two factors, there is an ongoing crisis of almost infinite proportions. California is running out of electricity at a brisk rate. Because many Californians depend on electricity for most of their activities, they are now having an "Energy Crisis" that's got many people worried about our power sources. They're afraid that if we don't eventually come up with alternative forms of energy, society will crumble when we run out of coal and dinosaurs under pressure. They feel that because of civilization's advances, we might be plunged into an anarchic society from which we may never recover.