- by Cheryl Campana, 18, HRM

In Sci-fi movies, a common plot is the imminent destruction of earth through robots that are running amok.  Another plot is an incoming missile or bomb that will blow up civilization as we know it and some brave hero must step forward and choose between the red wire and the blue wire to disable the bomb. 

What these movies have in common (apart from being equally bad) is that they discuss some potential consequences of technology.  These are the bad consequences, the ones that no one really wants to take seriously because they're just too horrible to imagine.  The fact is, humans have already played out some of these horrifying movies where technology is our undoing.

The quest for new technology started back in the Stone Age when fire was invented.  It was all down hill after that.  While some animals do create tools, it is only humans that create tools as weapons.  It started with the spear which evolved into a sword.  The gun was made and a turning point was reached in history.  Before gun powder, there weren't any efficient, easy ways of mass killing.  Oh, there were catapults and such, but they were very clumsy and could only be used in certain circumstances.

The gun…a device that is either small or large in size, a device that can save a life...but is most often used to take them away.  Pro-gun people will say that a gun is used for protection and that a man can only defend his family by use of a gun.  Gun critics will point out that it is rare to have to "defend one's family" particularly with a gun.  It should also be noticed that since guns are now so common, it is more than likely that the attacker will also have a gun.

Unfortunately, the consequences of technology don't stop there.  Guns have evolved into bombs which have evolved into bigger bombs, particularly the nuclear bomb.  In the past two uses of a nuclear bomb, the consequences have been both good and bad.  Although it's debated whether the consequence of ending World War II was worth killing a few hundred thousand people, more people could have died if the war had continued.  The question that humanity must always ponder now is "which consequence would have been worse?"  Although the nuclear bomb is one of the worst consequences of technology, did it save us from an even worse consequence?  Oh wait; we wouldn't have been in such a bad situation in the first place if technology hadn't been involved.  Powerful guns, gas and other such horrific weapons were still fairly revolutionary for the two world wars, and although a war probably would have happened anyways, without such terrifying technology, the carnage could not possibly be to the same extent.  Guns can kill faster and from greater distances than any other hand held weapon.

An international issue today is global warming, a potentially catastrophic event that could destroy our society as we know it.  Global warming is caused by technology - more specifically, the burning of fossil fuels.  Fossil fuels are used to power cars, planes, televisions, phones and other electrical objects that are essential to maintaining our standard of life in North America. 

The solutions to global warming all seem to focus on one main aspect:  reduce the amount of "technology" you use, thereby reducing the amount of fossil fuels you burn.  If people only drive their cars less, turn down the heating systems in their house by one notch, etc, then global warming could be halted.  Maybe not reduced, but it could be paused.

It's interesting that "technology", the phenomenon that is supposed to make human life easier, is in fact, killing us.  We are the makers of our own destruction.  Therefore, it must be submitted that the consequence of too much technology is death.

Surely there must be a good side to technology, some good consequences that come of it.  Yes, this is true.  Medical advances, globalization, increased food production, these are all results of technology, so how can we say where to draw the line?

Let us learn from our past mistakes.  Let us put our need for new technology to good use and discover new environmentally friendly and cost efficient ways of producing electricity.  Let us put our resources together and change society for the better.  Surely our time and energy would be better spent discovering new ways of treating cancer, a disease that can be caused by technology (too much pollution) instead of creating more and more weapons that get bigger and "better" all the time!

It is foolish to create such horrific technology such as the atomic bomb and not expect horrific consequences to follow.  The purpose of any such weapon is to take human lives in mass amounts, and any decent human being would be appalled at such an idea!

Technology is the result of curiosity, an over powering human trait that none can resist.  When curiosity is turned to technology and the on-going quest for new, bigger and better technology, disastrous events can occur.  Curiosity didn't just kill the cat, it's killing humans too.

It must be acknowledged that there are some benefits to technology and that the quest for technology shouldn't end completely.  It's just that when technology is created for the sole purpose of destroying (the atomic bomb) or is blatantly harmful to society (Agent Orange), then a line should be drawn.  Technology is a double edged sword, and we should be careful which side we use.