In the short bonus section that plays at the end of the film, Napoleon Dynamite, Napoleon’s brother, Kip, sings a song to his bride at their wedding that expresses his comparative love for her and technology—“…yes, I love technology, but not as much as you, you see… always and forever…” he sings, as he wipes a tear from his eye. While it’s pretty hilarious, you still feel touched by Kip’s sincerity—yes, he is s a geek but it’s a heartfelt gesture of true love just the same.
I sometimes wonder, with today’s swirl of computers, smartphones, iPads and GPS units, are we drowning in a techno-polluted sea of our own making? Are we losing touch with what it means to be human? Would our quality of life be better if we took a few steps back and lived without our steady press forward into a future seemingly filled with ever more clever gadgets and gizmos?
I’d say it’s a matter of perspective—of keeping “things” in their proper place in the hierarchy of human affairs. We must remember that technology is a means to, not an end in itself. As the saying goes, “The most important things in life are not things.” How and why we use technology defines its value, so if we strive to create and use it in ways that support virtue and health, I say, “Bring it on—the more technology, the better.” We just need to control the technology, not let it control us.
Of course our cover this month is certainly all about technology. Our ALIVE Marketplace application is just one way we’re doing our best at ALIVE to add value to what we offer to our readers and advertisers.
Technology is neutral. So long as the motivation behind it is to make life better and serve those around us, then our satellite radios, microwaves and graphite golf clubs are good things. It’s okay to love technology, but not as much as you, you see, always and forever…
