Technology is Not a Product: Looking Beyond Cultural Conditioning

Even with a deepening awareness about the destructive force money has been on nearly every aspect of my existence, I cannot help but see certain things exactly the way I have been conditioned by my culture to see them.  Technology is a prime example.

When I see or hear the word "technology", images of products instantly materialize in my mind: Computer, smart phone, video game console--Dell, Apple, Sony etc., etc..

Because I have been conditioned from birth to be a "consumer" participating in a system that requires cyclical consumption, many aspects of human progress have been reduced to nothing more than "product" associated with a certain monetary value.  I cannot emphasize enough how disgusted this makes me, and for this reason: I know intellectually that technology coupled with science is the key to humanity’s next step forward, and yet, I have been so thoroughly conditioned toward consumerism that it is difficult to keep the idea of technology as mere “product” silent.

There is a psychological sickness at work here.  Technology, in our culture, is only impressive when it makes someone rich.  Let me repeat that so it can sink in: Technology, in our culture, is only impressive when it makes someone rich.  Consider the absurdity of that.  There are brilliant people all over the world developing technologies that would be life-improving if not life-saving for tens of millions of human beings.  Are they being mass manufactured?  Are these technologies being distributed to the people?  No.  Because many of the technologies developed today do not fit into the for-profit model of the money-market system, they shrivel up and fade away.  Without an end result of profit, technology capable of reshaping our civilization is left rotting on the vine.  This is a disgrace to our species and a testament to the sickness money has inspired in our minds.

Here is just one example of an incredible technology with the potential to improve life for billions of people: Engineer Michael Pritchard invented the portable Lifesaver filter, which can turn the most revolting water drinkable in seconds.  Watch the video below for a full demonstration:

The for-profit motive has distorted our view of human progress.  Profit is not progress.  Gross Domestic Product is not a measure of human contentment.  The monetary system is as indifferent to human suffering as the robot HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey.  Money does not favor a positive human outcome.  Money favors more money, and whether that growth stems from a universal benefit to humans or a universal catastrophe, the for-profit system regards all monetary growth as a victory.

As individuals and collectively, we have allowed the most vital component of our future evolution to become a window display with neon signs and price tags hanging off of shiny status symbols.  Technology is not a trendy gadget available from Apple in the 1^st Quarter of next year.  Technology is the stepping stone to a new civilization in which human needs are universally met and equality is more than cheap rhetoric for political speeches. 

Leveraging current science and technology, we have the ability to create abundance for the entire human population.  By intelligently managing resources, leveraging automation across all sectors of production, and planning self-sustaining cities that exist in equilibrium with the environment, we have the opportunity to achieve something never before seen on our planet:  Species-wide equality, peace, and abundance.  We have the chance to be the first in our recorded history to reach this milestone in evolution. 

How can we trade away such a monumental opportunity in exchange for music playing trinkets and shallow social networks? 

Technology is not a product.  Technology is the vehicle, science is the road, and we have a long way to go and a short time… well, you know the rest.  Maybe we should stop shopping for digital toys and invest in a future that doesn’t suck for billions of people.