Technology: What for?

"Our increasing production demands that we make consumption our way of life. We want things discarded, burnt, replaced, at an increasing velocity". This was said by an economist in the post-World War II period.
As seen in the quotation, our society has evolved to a point where our comfort and the efficiency of our work depend on the constant flow of newly-created stuff.
Inventions are not a recent thing. It has started since times immemorial, with the use of stones and sticks to make tools, or the use of tree-made ramps to build large monuments, like the Pyramids. It had mainly improved the efficiency of the people’s work back then, and consequently, their comfort. But nowadays, inventions are starting to get a little out of control, as their purpose begins to be, above all, to make our lifestyle a little bit lazier.
These inventions, the ones like sunglasses with Wi-fi connection or robot pets, are just excuses to increase consumerism. We don't really need all that stuff. And all the resources spent in the production of such meaningless things make the production and acquisition of those things even more meaningless. Our world is finite, and we cannot run a system that uses everything, benefits just a few and replaces nothing, on a finite planet. We just can’t keep satisfying our ego and our spirituality with making and buying stuff.
Society needs to become aware that inventions are good, if and only they are used for the sake of the common good and do not imply serious injury on our economy and environment. Perhaps then we could think about using what we already have to satisfy our needs. Who needs a WiiFit when you can practise real sports in the fresh air?

André Carvalho
10º ano Turma A
Junho 2010