Looking for direction in a confused world

Man has taken vast strides in science and technology. An immense Boeing 747 can take us across continents in a matter of hours. Modern technology has provided us with numerous time-saving devices. The booming automobile industry and highways have made our land travels fast and comfortable. Telephones, the Internet and e-mail have ushered in a communication revolution. Even at home, the housewife does not have to waste time washing clothes manually. Automatic washing-machines have taken over the dull routine of washing and drying clothes. Even the traditional way of cooking has changed with the introduction of microwave ovens and other electric equipment.

All this is amazing. They are our proud possessions in the 21st century. There is no doubt that scientists and technologists will come up with more time-saving devices in time to come. Nonetheless, most of us complain that we do not have enough time to enjoy life. Students are inundated with textbooks and assignments. Executives find it difficult to cope with appointments, meetings and other business-related commitments. Almost all of us find that our hands are full and we have no time to do any other task.

According to a survey conducted in the United States in 1995, time has become the most precious commodity. Today people are trying to earn more time than money. As a social critic put it, “It is ironic in a culture so committed to saving time that we feel increasingly deprived of the very thing we value.” Sometimes, we wonder what happened to our free time cherished in the past. Our forefathers had the time to smell flowers, enjoy the serenity of a sunset or the eternal beauty of a rainbow. But today we see them only on the small screen.

Self-deception

Students who have never stepped into a jungle write essays on fauna and flora. Those who have never seen a waterfall are fascinated by painted or photographed waterfalls. Children who are taken to the zoological gardens see caged animals crying for freedom. Those who have never been to a remote village make a trip to a theme village peopled with artificial characters.

Erich Fromm: “The progress we value so much has scrambled our value systems ...”

Despite raging poverty in some African countries, most people in the upper middle class have enough money to spend. They spend lavishly to build big houses or buy air-conditioned apartments surrounded by colour television sets, modern computers, vehicles and what not. Their main pastime appears to be shopping. But they soon find that their income is insufficient to keep up with technological advances. For instance, how many of us can buy a mobile phone costing Rs 100,000?

The modern man has to grapple with an information glut as well. He is inundated with newspapers, magazines, the Internet, mobile phones and i-pods. He can buy various items on line and watch 50 or more television channels. Today, we are no longer interested in the other man's health. When we meet somebody we tend to ask, “How is your latest i-pod?” instead of “How are you?” Unknown to many of us all this leads to stress, confusion and utter ignorance. Very soon we may have to seek a remedy for “information anxiety”.

Life expectancy

Thanks to the efforts of medical scientists, we have almost eradicated some of the dreaded diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis and polio. At the same time they have found new ways to prevent various other diseases. Today defects in the eye can be treated using laser technology. Doctors have begun to transplant hearts, livers and many other parts of the human body. This has resulted in the increase of our life expectancy from 45 to 75 years.

On the other hand, medical costs have sky-rocketed. Some medical practitioners pay no heed to the Hippocratic oath and worship the God of Mammon. As a result, the gap between the haves and have-nots has been widening, threatening the very fabric of society. The appearance of quacks in most countries has added fuel to the fire. In Sri Lanka alone we have more than 45,000 quacks practising medicine!

It is a paradox why scientific and technological advances failed to produce a happy society. With all the trappings of modern civilisation, our quality of life has taken a nosedive. Many sociologists, psychologists and philosophers have tried to find a solution to the riddle. For instance, the reputed communication guru Erich Fromm said, “The progress we value so much has scrambled our value systems and undermined our traditional sources of emotional security such as family, community and religion.” Many of them agree that the basic challenge of modern life has become the search for meaning or a sense of direction. Today most of us are floundering in a sea of confusion. The million dollar question is, how to find a sense of direction in a confused world.

The increasing number of godmen and cults shows that our collective malaise and never-ending search for fulfilment has spread like a wildfire. Brisk sales of ‘Self-help’ books written by pseudo-psychologists show another aspect of our decadent society. If we seek quick solutions, we are barking up the wrong tree!