Moderation and Balance

The world has since changed a lot, thanks to the human fondness and ingenuity to change things. The natural state of things eventually bores us, and so we keep changing everything. We have been raised to believe in our own power to change the world according to our wishes, and now we want to use that power to the fullest.

We learned to make tools. And we became more efficient with tools. Then we invented machines. And life became easier and quicker.

As human inventions grew, human patience diminished. Who would bother grinding and brewing coffee beans now when there’s instant coffee available? Or if someone really prefers the taste of brewed coffee, he would just go to the coffee shop and pay for a cup, at whatever the price. He doesn’t have the patience to go through the process, even if he knew how.

Factories everywhere are churning out more and more machines, because people want things to be much easier, much quicker. As everything now takes less time and effort to do, people have more time to think what else they want. We have created our own void and are faced with the challenge to fill it up.

The computer, for example, once blew our minds when it appeared. It used to be a conglomeration of machines that filled an entire room. But, wow, it did in an hour what used to take a human person a whole day to do.

Then there’s digital technology. Many things can now be accomplished at dizzying speed. We have conquered the impossible. We have virtually shrunk the world into a small village; people from different hemispheres can now converse like next-door neighbors, in real time.

We now have gadgets to explore the tiniest and the largest, the closest and the farthest mysteries. There is no more need to go out of our comfort zones or take risks to make monumental inquiries and studies. We have digital devices to do it for us.

The computer has since shrunk sharply to now fit the palm of the human hand. And it is no longer available only to a few, the rich and the intellectually sophisticated. Nowadays, an average kid holds a smartphone in his hand.

There is no question about the benefits that digital technology brings. It has brought amazing breakthroughs in the fields of medicine, education, social communication etc. It has also brought about advanced weaponry.

Certain sectors believe that digital technology also upsets nature. They attribute the series of recent natural calamities to the crisscrossing digital signals that encircle the globe. In the United States, bee farmers are having serious problems with the changed behavior of the bees, gravely undermining honey production; the problem has been traced to ultrasonic signals from cellular phones.

Within the family itself, the downside of technology is noticeable. Family members are now more sedentary, because there are machines that do the chores for them. And their health is compromised, because too much rest is not good.

There is now a mental problem called phone addiction, afflicting most young people. Even when physically in a group with others, they would be individually absorbed in their phones. The attitude undermines not only their social and family relationships – but the other, more essential aspects of their lives as well. 

It is the wisdom of the ages: “Moderation and balance are the keys to a secure, fulfilled and happy life.” Too much of anything may leave us afraid, empty and sorry.