Technology and Spirituality

By Marvin X

Technology will save us if it doesn't wipe us out.—Pete Seeger

This discussion of radical spirituality suggests one must perform a great leap forward in thinking to grasp the concept, for the present and certainly the future. Some people are so full of fear and doubt that rather than leap forward, they leap backward in order to maintain their sense of reality, even though reality is changing rapidly before their eyes. Their resistance or reaction is evident in religious fundamentalism, Islamic and Christian, for rather than being antithetical, they are quite similar, especially in holding onto traditional myth and ritual.

Muslim fundamentalists say return to the prophet's practice of a thousand years ago. The Christian fundamentalists believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. Both believers say there will be pie in the sky after they die. The Muslim is prepared to die and take others with him to achieve paradise, and the Christian is ready to kill to hasten the fulfillment of prophecy; at the very least to prolong the suffering of Palestinians by supporting Israeli intransigence, even as they are fully away Jews do not believe in Jesus, but Jews welcome support from dumb or deceitful Christians to perpetuate their racist/Zionist state by keeping their boots on the necks of Palestinians.

But as per Muslim fundamentalists, I have written elsewhere (In the Crazy House Called America, p. 156), "...For all his attempt to claim allegiance to the Islamic past, Osama Bin Laden is the most modern of men, using modern technology, modern weapons, modern financial systems and modern media techniques to the best of his ability."

And yes, Christian fundamentalists use modern media, including Internet, to spread their archaic theology and reactionary white supremacy version of Jesus Christ.

All of these evil suggestions involve the use of technology in spreading the message and carrying out the deeds. Not only is this activity in the political arena, but it is generated from the spiritual arena, from the center of fundamental Christians and Muslims.

How is it possible man can advance forward and backward simultaneously? How is it possible the best use he can make of modern technology is the proliferation of negative messages, including the use or threatened use of weapons of mass destruction?

Clearly, technology and spirituality are on a collision course. Shall we be consumed by our technology interfacing with our backward spirituality? Or shall we advance to spiritual maturity. Thoughts are things, thus it appears our very thoughts have the potential to cause our demise, i.e., when our thoughts connect with technology.

Because of reactionary spirituality, we turn a good thing into a bad thing, we turn a blessing into a curse. Like Frankenstein, we create the monster who devours us. We are not satisfied with the infinite possibility of spreading joy and happiness throughout the world, we rather spread human misery in the name of God and the cause of sham democracy, free trade and neo-slavery.

Perhaps we shall see there are forces greater than technology, greater even than the projection of our minds, especially when such minds are not poised to advance beyond tradition and the familiar. Nature, the Creator, is the force with whom we are determined to disconnect--thus we should see that Nature is determined to disconnect from us, since we are indeed the guilty party, Nature having done no wrong.

Man is determined to turn the blessing of technology into a curse, unless he moves toward a radical spirituality, enabling him to acquire the consciousness that will permit him to see clearly that all wars must end for the benefit of humanity. Only the selfish and greedy desire the continuation of barbarism and savagery. How much progress have we really made from the stone age to the nuclear age, from the wheel and drum to the Internet, if the end game is annihilation of the human race, since this appears to be the ultimate use of technology.

How much technology are we using to advance human and/or spiritual consciousness? Video games turn us into robots, television makes us dumber than dumb, computer driven cars clog freeways and poison the environment, digital music destroys our central nervous system as we bounce to the beat that takes us nowhere. Aside from pussy and dick games, there is no message in the music--it does not take us higher.

The advance in medicine only makes us sicker and poorer, while it enriches the pharmaceutical industry. The petrochemical industry has made advances in food production that only  makes us sicker and fatter, and hastens our death, especially among the poor and ignorant who can't afford to shop at Whole Foods.

What is more savage, the suicide bomber or the bomber with laser guided missiles from thirty thousand feet? The spirit of the people is indeed greater than technology, for we may talk more with cell phones but surely we are saying less, or as James Brown sang, "Talking loud but saying nothing."

posted 2 July 2006