Martin
Luther King Jr. led the march on Washington, DC a half-century ago, on August
28th, 1963, to lash out against racism, segregation, and the abuse
of civil rights in a nation split in two -- one black, one white -- 100 years after
the Emancipation Proclamation. It was a significant and monumental point in the
civil rights movement and in the evolution of global views about the importance
of skin color. Could the “I have a dream” speech by the slain civil rights
leader serve as a model for a new movement but not one on race or war or
sexuality but on the two sides of life -- one of technology and one of nature?
We
are drawing closer to a split nation -- one of those who are plugged in, and one
of those who are left on the sidelines. This is due to economics. We need a
nation where no one is left behind when it comes to having access to the latest
technology.
But
our society is also split in its approach to technology. Some embrace the
robotic lifestyle that makes them feel like a cybenetic superhero. Humans are
becoming increasingly dependent on technology to the point we redefine who we
are as a result. We are hybridizing into a half-human, half-digital being.
Such
a split can be seen in the book industry. Millions embrace digital devices and
electronic readers. Many love e-books. Millions also guard the printed book as
something sacred and endangered.
Just
as with the debate of science vs. religion, where sane people rationalize we
can coexist in both worlds rather than choose one over the other, we must find
a way to balance the physical world with the digital, and of the natural world
with that of the artificial one.
But
we lack leadership and direction in the vital area of managing technology so
that it doesn’t manage us. Instead, we’re ruled by entrepreneurs with ideas -- and
a competitive marketplace that seeks to make profits and not necessarily build
a better world.
No
one really knows what type of balance should be stuck between the lab-created
world and the one that exists in living a natural life. It’s getting harder and
harder to define what makes us human the more we incorporate science, medicine,
technology, PEDs, media, and other factory-created phenomena into our lives.
Don’t
get me wrong, I’m all for the ethical advancement of science and for advancing
the science of ethics, but I’m also for finding a means or methodology to
manage the growth of discovering and then mass-implementing new technologies.
We need to make sure we think things through, and take the right direction. We
must ensure that the essence of being human is preserved.
I
have a dream…that one day we will discover the answers to the mysteries of life
but that we come to this knowledge by a means that doesn’t sacrifice the
purpose of being human.
Think
about it. Then use your technology to share this message.
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Brian Feinblum’s
views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of
his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This
is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013
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