Sacred Things
There is an idea held at the hearts of nearly every person alive today. Every government, every culture, every scientist, every leader, sage, and savior. It may, in fact, be one of the only uniting factors (besides human emotions) between nearly all modern cultures to date. What is this binding link, one may ask? Is it love? In a sense. Is it the desire for peace? Surely not. It is the following: We can -no, we must– know what is good and evil.
Everything that we call evil stems from this assumption. In part because the existence of good necessitates the existence of evil, and in part because we’re quite particular about what we call evil. People have taken to calling things that hurt them evil – death, war, loss, things of that nature. To an extent, this makes sense. However, I’m not here to argue about that. I’m here to talk about the more pressing matter that arises from this way of thinking (dualism between good and evil, that is). The idea that growth is good.
People often talk of carbon emissions from the pre-industrial eras. They say “Before the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide levels were stable. Now, they’re hurting the environment!” That’s true. But what’s more fascinating is what people say right after: “Oh well, that’s what it costs, I suppose.” The cost of…? What do people mean when they say this? Advanced society? Health and safety? There are two important things to ask here. Clearly, one of them is “What are the benefits and detriments of a technologically advanced civilization?” The second is whether or not a healthy, safe, and fulfilling life can be achieved without the so called “virtues of industrial civilization.”
Firstly, what are the benefits and detriments of a technologically advanced civilization?
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
The most visible and tangible boon of advanced technology is the interconnection between all people. On a global scale, people are able to share information at the blink of an eye and gain valuable insights into other people and themselves that didn’t exist before the invention of the internet. The vast majority of the people on this planet have the knowledge of the entire history of the human species at their fingertips.
Similarly, another positive gain from this level of civilization is the increase in quality of life. People with previously incurable diseases now have cures, widespread increases in production have enabled many more people to have access to goods they didn’t have previously, and scientific discoveries have been unearthed that we didn’t even know about before (Ismali). It is undeniable the growth that this type of advanced technology has brought us, so what could there be to argue against with respect to the core tenants of technological civilizations?
Quite a lot, actually. I’ll touch on my personal two biggest factors, one of which gets talked about frequently and one that gets little attention. The first is climate change. All of us practically hear about it daily, so I will only briefly touch on the same effects of climate change that get talked about non-stop.
Deep down we all know, unfortunately, that disastrous global average temperature rises are not going to be averted. Eating less meat and taking shorter showers won’t save the world. CO2 levels are rising beyond historical levels. Expect 2°C by the mid century and at least 3-5°C by the end of the century (World Meteorological Organization). How did we get here, exactly?
I say that we’re at this point not because of gross misuse of our innovations and technologies. I say we’re here because at its core, industrial civilization is not sustainable. It never has been and it never will be. The core motivator of industrial society is growth, simply because it states that growth is a good thing. It is fantastical to think that advancements in technology will save us, because technology is what got us here in the first place. In the words of Audrey Lorde, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”
The other important idea to touch on is the idea of alienation. This takes shape in alienation from our communities, from our friends, from nature, and from ourselves. This is more of an emotional concept, and because of this I’m going to include a poetic writing of sorts that aptly conveys what I mean. This is from one of my favorite writers, known only to me as Will.
I remember watching you smile through the greenest blades of grass. We would lay in the grass where the deer slept and carve tunnels to one another and roll around in the drunken happiness of sunshine and summer time. And we exclaimed, “I wish to live like this forever!” But we were fools! Idiots! Madmen, for we still thought that life was joy and leisure and happiness. With age we have seen the truth, that life is for work and pragmaticism and that dreams are only psychedelic distractions from what we ought to be doing: working hard and long. We are men now and men work hard and long and find joy only in drinks. Then we should go home and regret those drinks and pray to God that we be forgiven for seeking pleasure. For pleasure is the ultimate displeasure and the only good is slavery. The dreaming children we once were are fools! (@wild_resistance)
I am watched by cameras every day. I am monitored by computers incessantly. No matter how hard I try and how far I go, I cannot escape the roar of cars and the droning of airplanes. I’m terrified of the ever growing possibility that there is no more peace and no more quiet. How can I be myself in this environment? I feel like a specimen – labeled, monitored, studied. I know I am not the only one who feels like this.
Now, of course, I must address the main question I had when I first reached this conclusion: Is it worth it to get out?
Maps and Dreams
It’s important to note that I’m not advocating for some sort of return to primitive ways of living. Besides being laughably idealistic, it’s unrealistic and not desirable. I, personally, have tried digging up burdock with sticks and sleeping in lean-to shelters that I’ve built with branches and twigs. Not the nicest experience. I also know that most people don’t want to go back in time like that. Some people need plastic straws to live, and halting the use of them would be murderous. Still, something needs to happen.
Despite our growing interconnection, we grow further apart every day. With growing advances in surveillance technology, it seems to me that we are monitored like those in maximum security prisons. With ever expanding growth, colonialism and ecocide continue to rage onwards in deluges of horrific inhumanity. With this in mind, it is obvious to me what must happen next.
What I propose is a life without the constraints technology places on us. To quote the Tao Te Ching, “The more prohibitions you make, the poorer people will be. The more weapons you possess, the greater the chaos in your country. The more knowledge that is acquired, the stranger the world will become. The more laws that you make, the greater the number of criminals (John McDonald Translation, 57).”
In lieu of this idea, I return to my previous notions of growth. Once we as a global society cast away the idea that we need to grow to save ourselves will we finally be closer to true freedom. No more prescribed dogma. Instead, horizontal organization and communal cooperation. No more environmental degradation. Instead, we take what we need and we compost the rest – factories, coal, and all that kills us. No more alienation. Instead, we obliterate the duality between humanity and nature and cast away the desires of Manifest Destiny, Industrialism and totalitarian forms of agriculture.
When I first confronted this idea, I told myself good luck. I called myself an idealist. However, I soon came to realize something. If this seems idealist, tell that to the !Kung and the Iroquois Confederacy. Tell that to the Zapatistas and those in Rojava. Tell that to people all around the world and all throughout history who live and have lived outside the lines in love and exuberance. They succeed in this not because they strive to live outside the boundary, but rather because they destroy the boundary and grow wildflowers in its place. For our own sake, I can only hope we do the same.
Sources:
https://hbr.org/2009/04/4-arguments-against-technology
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ee82/fe6864523c98752e5d25af764db3c4eca746.pdf
https://www.information-age.com/modern-technology-advantages-disadvantages-123465637/
https://www.instagram.com/wild_resistance/
I really enjoy how you tied your belief system to the current problems of climate change. A line that resonated with me is when you talked about how all evil stems from assumption. Your use of philosophical literature to support a logical argument is clever and forms the argument well.