Culture versus technology

It was the winter of 1937-38 and I was attending a small high school in Hailey, Idaho. The student body was very small, and there was seldom any activity from outside our small realm that influenced us in any way, but one day this changed and the topic of the day has stayed with me all these years.

The principal had scheduled a guest speaker to address the student body at a general assembly, and we students were anxious to hear what the topic of presentation would be. Once assembled in the small auditorium the principal introduced the guest speaker. I do not remember the gentleman's name, but his appearance was impressive to a group of small town students. He was dressed in a gray suit, had gray hair, and a small gray moustache; to me he presented a very distinguished image. I was eager to hear what his subject of address would be.

His opening statement invited us to understand and reconcile the ongoing conflict between technology and civilization, or culture as I desire to interpret it. In my mind, civilization is the result of a nation's culture. It is important to know and remember that at this time Europe was in the process of developing under Hitler's and Mussolini's domination.

Our guest speaker outlined how technology had developed over the years and centuries, and how civilization had attempted to keep abreast of technology, thus stabilizing good developments with man's ability to use it to its best potential. The point that he made was that inevitably, in time mankind fell behind and technology was misused. He emphasized that the end result was most always war. Technology was then directed to the destruction of mankind. The situation in Europe existing at that time was his prime example.

The speaker continued to go back in time and to point out various moments in history that sustained his thesis that technology and culture (civilization) tend to run parallel to one another only for a short period. The end result being that technology gets too far ahead of man's ability to use it properly. The Dark Ages was a prime example of man's degeneration to the point where the Renaissance evolved to rebuild his personal culture.

I have over the years frequently reviewed this proposition in my mind and constantly find far too many instances where this analysis prevails. One can simplify it by finding minor things such as the invention of the wheel; a great and simple invention but it did not take man long to figure he could put it on a chariot and make a war machine that could be used to his advantage to kill people.

The list is endless; fire was discovered and helped man cook his food, but then it could also be used to raze a village or a township. Electricity lit up the world, and then it was used to electrocute convicted felons. One of the first uses of the airplane was in World War I as a bomber. The list goes on; the automobile kills more people because of its misuse than any other one item. The flagrant misuse of the cell phone and the texting that goes with it. We developed the atom without developing a way to harness its destructive power. It produces power for long periods of time, but controlling it once the fuel cells are depleted we are left with what to do with a substance that still has a half-life that can be a hazard for decades. Our world of medicine with all the good drugs that have been discovered to aid and prolong our lives is constantly used by addicts that not only destroys their lives but others as well.

It is not technology that creates the problem but the lack of culture in the human individual to handle it properly. Over the last five decades of my life I have witnessed a constant decline in our society to properly use what has been developed around us. Why is this so? The most flagrant misuse of a medium is television and its programming. At every channel there is violence or macho programs; in time this produces an impact on one's thinking and behavior. This is particularly true in a young mind. Television is one of the greatest teaching mediums we have if properly used, and it is not. Why do I say this? Because it has the basics of teaching, show and tell. The mind responds to this technique quite readily. Why do you think advertisers spend so much money researching the physiology of the human mind to sell you something you really do not want or need?

The recent tragedy of the horrible shooting in Connecticut has created a nationwide outcry to change gun control, citing that the gun is the culprit in this terrible case. I use the comments I have made in this article to refute this approach. People, it is our culture that is to blame. We do not pay enough attention to what is going on around us; we remain oblivious of our fellow man and fail to recognize that is where most of our problems reside. We abuse the benefits that our modern technology has given us. The next time you get in your car remember you have the potential at your fingertips to create your own tragedy. Work on your culture and become a better human being. Remember all those electronic devices and toys are great, but not when you are behind the wheel of your vehicle.

Walter Fred Hamelrath is a Hayden resident.