Seeking solace from technology and religion

By Amal Hewavissenti

We, as modern people have already witnessed the dawn of the year 2014 and have placed ourselves on the threshold of yet another new era of technology. We have already built up the level of education and sophistication through multiple decades but still experience a certain form of vacuum in our lives.

As a matter of fact, we cannot refute the truth that today's man has approached the pinnacle of the sphere of science and technology. Modern man of the twentieth century has gained a tremendous advancement in practically every field from science to most of human activities.

Man has adequately explored earth and universe and has considered it a great achievement in history. He has landed on moon and has sent satellites to other planets to capture a glimpse of what they are. In the wake of these significant breakthroughs, civilisation has achieved unprecedented development and consequently, the standard of man's life has become remarkably high.

Mankind

Man is in total control of the world and has formulated rules and regulations to govern his fellow men.

To be more specific, he has championed the cause of human rights and democratic system of government. In this context, he has imposed laws, ethics, regulations, taboos, and rules to ensure peace in the world. And, still he fails in his attempts to achieve lasting peace on earth.

It appears fair to say that the advancement of science and technology alone is capable of creating a balanced world.

The discovery and the mishandling of nuclear power stood responsible for the widespread destruction of human lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Dramatically enough, the self same nuclear science is capable of saving human lives and enhancing the life standard of mankind throughout the globe. However, the analyses and observations made by intellectuals and scholars on the world crisis indicate that the modern man of this century who is gradually stepping up to the third millennium of assuredly at a loss.

Certain upheavals in the current world have instantly broken up relationships and beliefs and customs in ... from ancestors and have screened off a clear future. Never in the history has mankind been confronted with so many upheavals, confusions and worry as the twentieth century man is faced with. This directly means that there is no equilibrium in society despite man thrives in a technological era.

Certain countries are plagued by never ending battles while crime, alienation, discrimination, use of drugs and corruption tear apart the fabric of society. The existence and day to day activities of the modern society undermine the balance of the natural environment and the very future of human life on earth.

There are numerous organisations, clubs and institutions that appear to be constantly operating towards the development of people and achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and moral needs.

In the face of the increasing crises, these attempts have proved futile. "For a scientific civilisation to become a balanced civilisation, it is necessary that increase in knowledge should be accompanied by increase in wisdom. By wisdom I mean a right conception of the ends of life and this is something which science itself fails to provide. Increase of science by itself, therefore, is not enough to guarantee any genuine progress, though it provides one of the ingredients which progress requires, writes Bertrand Russell in his book The Scientific Outlook published in 1993.

Russell projected the premise that modern people desperately need, along with science and technology, a higher wisdom and outlook that they lack at present.

The greatest challenge is to develop a new human personality - a new type of man who has consistent vision and is willing to make great sacrifices for the sake of the development of human society. This ideal man is capable of exploiting the resources around him to upgrade the people's standard of life.

The tragedy is that today's education has failed to create this type of personality and to build up a stable society. Everywhere in the world one finds a similar type of education which produce the same type of man with no principles, moral values and integrity.

Strengthen

We, as the people of planet earth, are better able to cancel out this crisis to strengthen civilisational development and we all have to contribute in a positive way, as members of a community. For this, we should seek help and guidance in whatever religion we have pinned our faith on because almost all religions encourage us to be good.

The basic mission of religion is to confront such problems and offer a passable solution by showing mankind the true path he should follow to achieve success. Modern man is far from happiness and has not achieved a peaceful life free from psychological tension. He has lamentably failed to realise that the scientific and technological progress is not the first and not even the fundamental ingredient of life.

Without the shadow of doubt, modern man must realise that he deplorably lacks spiritual values and that is the main reason behind anxiety, confusion, suicide, racial conflicts, illusion and perplexities. All these ingredients pose a serious threat to the security, peace and welfare of humanity in spite of all material progress achieved during the past two centuries.

In point of fact, man needs guidance from for all aspects of his life because spiritual values are essential for the development of a balanced man. Religion directly averts conflict between personal and public life - between material and spiritual life. This is to say that religion assures peace, prosperity and personal development and it complements the world development in terms of science and technology.