The world without technology

Question from the Internet:

“What would the world be like if every form of technology suddenly ceased to exist, and humanity had to adapt to a completely technology-free existence?”

It is a difficult question since it is unclear what we mean by “technology?”

Do we mean finding ourselves before the invention of the wheel or very simple tools to hunt, cook, or work the fields? Or do we mean more contemporary technology like computers, the Internet, robotics, or even cars and airplanes?

I am 57 years old, I grew up in Communist Hungary, and I was a late teenager or young adult before “personal computers” became a “thing,” not to mention the Internet appeared. Then smartphones and similar devices came much later.

And I have to say that I wish my children grew up the way I grew up, without all these devices, without much of the “wonders” of the West we craved and coveted so much. (I have been living “in the West” for 30 years.)

We read a lot of books; we listened to music, which was still “music,” we had no other options but to write letters to each other, speak normally, and visit each other when we had to meet.

It was a much more “humane” world, where the emphasis was still on “normal” human interactions and connections when we tangibly felt that whatever we did, we had to do it through each other and with each other.

The truth is that the more technology we have, the less human we become. And it has nothing to do with technology; it is not technology’s fault. It is our fault because of the things and goals we have been chasing.

We think we need “information at our fingertips,” and we think we need all the technology to make our lives more comfortable, efficient, safer, and healthier. But in truth, 99.9% of our activities, tools, and the “information” we consume are obsolete, aimless, and actually harmful. And then there are those who use all the technology to brainwash and manipulate us as they wish

But we just blindly continue using and worshipping “technology” because we are becoming more and more egocentric and individualistic. It is because we constantly want more for ourselves, and we want to succeed and progress at each other’s expense.

It is because whatever we invent and build is used for excessive and selfish consumption and to control, manipulate, and exploit others.

We could use our technology, even AI, to create and sustain a truly Human world where everything is again focused on human connections and interactions, and our goals were to make the world a better place for everyone without differences and ruthless competition.

If technology suddenly disappeared, we would be forced to rely on each other and try to secure our collective survival based on human cooperation. On the other hand, we could learn the same thing without losing technology and without going through collective hardship or tragedies.

But in order to do so, we would need to change our focus; we would need to change our goals and intentions in life. We would need to develop a “new” technology, which is the “technology of Human interconnections.”