History DOES Repeat.
Rage Against the Machine was a popular anti-establishment band around the turn of the 20th century into the 21st. Their rage urged the poor and downtrodden to violently opposed the rich and powerful.
Throughout their active playing lives, the message radically encouraged serious opposition against anything relevant to the machine... to them, the machine was considered government intervention and capitalism.
As an aside, I often wondered if the band members ever understood that the machine they so violently opposed was the very mechanism making them millionaires.
Similarly, it would be interesting to know what percent of their riches was given to the poor they constantly encouraged to destroy the machine
Hmmm...
Is it time to rage?
This is a different time and the different place.There is a new machine. The old machine actually produced the new one. The new machine is a nuts-and-bolts (OK, bits and bytes) device that creates the oxymoron a virtual reality.
The new machine has seized significant control of our lives. Mentally, emotionally and physically, Big Brother now fits in our pockets and purses. It exudes comfort and connectedness, Semiconductors and electromagnetic waves consume our time and manage our lives.
Is it time for us to rage against this new machine?
Is it too late?
Do we want to?
Should we?
Could we?
Even if we wanted to?
If the "new" machine in which you are referring to is the increased access we have been granted with the development of new technologies, I honestly think that it would be too late for us to "rage against" it. Our culture has morphed into a society that relies extensively on Google to answer our every question and Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to share our every thought. In our case, we are too far gone to even think about changing our ways. No matter what we will do in life, the advancements in technology will never cease. Thus like the generations before us, our culture will continually change. Therefore I think at this point it would be absurd to ask for a revolution against the technology, as it has become synonymous with our new way of life. Rather, I think there should be a call to action, asking for society to be more cautious of the information they put on the internet. If you are a person who is "hard-core" about changing the system, then I think the best option for you is to limit what you share on the internet. No matter what, by having the ability to access the internet on our every whim, we have socially accepted our fate as a connected and "observed" society. The government has the right to examine the material we share freely with the public. Thus it would be completely moot to try and rage against something that is constantly being refueled.
ReplyDeleteI agree that, at this point, we must accept that technological developments that have happened up until the present are here to stay. I don't think anyone would argue that they should be shelved, because such a proposition would never garner any substantial support, much like trying to change when Christmas falls, because Jesus wasn't actually born on December 25th. Rather, we must educate ourselves and our children on proper use of the technology. Technology in and of itself isn't an evil. It can be misused and we can ensnare ourselves and become addicted to it. We must exercise caution when using our phones, TV, computers, etc. We must not throw out logic, argumentation, and the ability to challenge our brains. We can't let machines replace our ability to think. This is where the danger lies.
DeleteMargaret,
DeleteI completely agree with all the points you stated in your comment. If technology is what you are referring to in the new "machine" then it would be a waste of our time to rage against it. Our society and our generation is reliant on constant communication with others.
Ryland made a great point that we should not allow machines to replace our ability to think or throw out logic.
I think that relying on any type of technology is something to limit in order to remain present in your daily tasks. So often you see people's heads down in their phones as they are walking to class, in the grocery market, at the gym, in class, in bed, in chapel, and on lunch breaks in between meetings for a job. We must exercise our ability to communicate effectively in person with the outside world because those qualities will be needed in any successful friendship, relationship, or marriage. Technology has evolved in our generation and caused insecurity of many because of social media. "The machine" has taken over mentally, physically, and emotionally. Mentally, it causes us to rely on the internet for answers or ideas. We should be reading books in order to expand our knowledge and our wisdom on certain topics. We are mentally connected to our phones and the dependence of staying in constant communication with our friends, family, or social media. Physically, it seems as though someone is carrying a technological "machine" on them in some form. (A calculator, a phone, a laptop, a kindle, etc.) Technology is distracting if we feel the need to physically have it on our desk or near us. It is almost like a comfort or physical dependence on having my phone near me at all times. Have you ever felt your phone go off when it did not vibrate? I think that is a sign that we are physically dependent on our phones. Emotionally, social media can be dangerous for those competing for a certain look or persona they are putting as themselves on social media. Unfortunately, social media has made it so easy to be someone else on the internet and speak as someone else as well. It has been used to cyberbully, attack people, or even take someone else's identity and put a wall in front of the things they are saying in order to be anonymous. Many people want a cool instagram photo or find something funny to tweet about. We wait for a text from a specific person, possible rejection through blocking, and we obsess over hiding in our room binge watching out favorite TV show instead of interacting with the world. But why? Why is it so important for us to use technology to receive approval from others? Now with all this being said, I agree in which we need to accept our technological developments until the present are here permanently and are constantly evolving. We should not rage against it but possibly just practice healthy use of our technology and keeping in sight the importance of in-person communication. Technology has improved in the way that it has caused many people to be millionares through inventing apps, marketing their company, selling products, and allowed us to track our fitness in a FitBit or get directions using Siri, or facetime our family from other countries, and market our favorite brand. Although there are some dangerous or negative effects of the internet, I believe the improvements and evolution of our technology has simplified our lives as well with the touch of a button. The Machine is not only entertaining, helpful, and resourceful, but it is just going to continue evolving. Even if we wanted to rage against the machine, I don't think it would be beneficial to us because there are so many benefits and too large of a population that would not be against it making it difficult to cut it out completely. I think the important thing to remember is the importance of the impact technology may have on you and realizing for yourself that you need to monitor your dependence on any given machine.
Ryland & Nicole,
DeleteYou guys bring up interesting points. It's like that saying goes "with great power, comes great responsibility." Being part of this tech-savvy generation means not only are we able to access information from the palm of our hand, but we also subject ourselves to the temptation of the internet community. Being plugged in to our electronic devices causes us to lose track of the things happening in our day to day life. Suddenly we are seeing students who will text their friend who is sitting next to them instead of just talking to each other. I think that Nicole really hit it home with the ways in which we have been able to foster an easier lifestyle with assistive technology. But as Ryland pointed out we are becoming addicted to our technology and are finding more ways to exclude ourselves from being present in society. I think that this concept of being present in our lives is something that is really hitting the millenial generation, who haven't lived without a smart phone, hard. Now we are seeing toddlers being entertained by iPads instead of with toys, and children would rather play games on their phones than go outside. And most importantly, even though this technology has greatly eased our lifestyle, we are creating a generation who would rather text than talk to each other. We are teaching our children that as long as they are behind a screen their are no consequences. (This is why there is such a rise in cyber bullying). We may have made life easier in many ways with technology, but ultimately we are hindering one of the most important things that make humans distinct from other animals: our brains. We are becoming lazy. We are allowing our phones to do all the thinking for us and losing the ability to communicate with each other. Technology has made being a human easier, but its redefining what it means to be human.
Margaret,
DeleteThank you for such an insightful post! While pondering this, I have been so caught up in whether or not we should rage against the new machine, and focused less on whether or not we actually can. You bring up very good points here. What could possibly be done about it? It would be unconstitutional to restrict one's internet access to a certain number of hours. Sadly, the days that we grew up knowing with minimal technology is long gone.
First of all, great response Margaret. Your language and flow of this short but powerful response was persuasive and helpful all at the same time. I can't help but say that I completely and 100% agree with what you said. We are just too far into this technology growth period that it would almost be silly to try to "rage against the machine" and dismiss technology by all means. It simply wouldn't make sense.
DeleteI also liked what you said about people being cautious about what they share on the internet. It makes sense that you can't be a hypocrite and post every meal you eat on social and be a "hard-core" activist on changing the system. If you don't like the way technology is progressing then don't partake in it. Its also just that simple.
Very good job Margaret. Well done.
Personally, I disagree with the statement that there is a "new machine". As you said in your post, the band was anti-establishment and the machine they opposed was government control and the powerful coercive properties of the capitalistic society. If this is truly the machine they opposed, it hasn't been replaced so much as received some upgrades. The machine hasn't changed, it's only improved some of its parts.
ReplyDeleteAs for if it's time to rage, I think people already are. The number one objective of movements like this is awareness, and the fact that you realize the machine even exists and has influence over society, speak out publicly to us about it and haven't had your bank account seized/drones sent to your house means a lot. Instead, people are starting to notice where this path of technology is headed and we're already seeing conflict arise as people start to wonder how much freedom we can afford to give up for convenience before some massive company or government takes over the world and controls every aspect of their lives. Only recently I saw google publicly re-release their terms of service agreement to reassure the masses that their data-collection is not only legal, but bound by law to be used for service improvement only.
Establishment control over the populace has always been a strange game of tug-o'-war, but until the government controls a literal army of robots, I'm a bit of an optimist on the situation. It's always been my view that there is always someone, a human being with a soul, working tirelessly to maintain the control of the powerful, and if they truly start to abuse that control, their cornerstones will leave them and they will crumble.
Something I find interesting about our current social predicament is that, at this point, it seems the possibility of complete and total retaliation against technology is completely impossible. Technology is everywhere — always watching, always progressing. And, as many people have already mentioned, throwing technology out means we throw away some pretty useful (even lifesaving) tools. In light of this, a rage of rebellion against technology looks pretty solitary. This predicament begs an entirely new question: would you rage if it meant disconnecting from the people you care about? The band's charge to the poor was a charge to the collective; the charge to rage against technology is a charge to the individual. That's right, you. are. in. this. alone. You're choice to disconnect means millions of people will likely continue to connect, share, and profit through technological means. Meanwhile, you'll be sitting in a meditation circle somewhere pondering your superiority. Will you be better for it? Probably. Will you be alone? Possibly. The choice is yours — spend your days chatting and liking in the nonsensical digital space, or go out on a limb and rage... alone (maybe I'll be there too).
ReplyDeleteKate, I believe your statements are very accurate and I agree with them completely. Especially, when you discuss the issue of loneliness. If one person was to decide to retaliate against technology, not everyone is going to listen. Companies will still target other consumers who want the products, and technology will continue to progress and develop. Trying to go against technology can create major setbacks to progress in research in health, for instance, and any other problems that we face. In any life threatening situation, or any crisis, and you are faced with no technology, how are you supposed to find the nearest hospital, or call AAA services. Sometimes we become unaware of how important technology is in our every day lives and to try and regress it will only set us apart from the rest of the world. So, again Kate I agree with you on all of your notes.
DeleteKate,
DeleteI definitely agree with you too. Especially in regards to retaliating against technology. It has become so ingrained in everyday life that it is almost impossible to eradicate it from one's life completely. In addition, even if this was done, technology is so prevalent in the world that I feel as though it IS impossible to not be affected by it even second hand.
It is foolish to believe that the way that people interact with each other has changed over the years, definitely with technological advances as a catalyst. If the rage is in the hopes to rebel against technology, I would agree with your logic that it is a rather lonely endeavor. But is it better to be genuinely alone, and be without the facade of community that is often perpetuated by technology?
Along with what Margaret was saying I think our society is heavily dependent on the new machine. Technology is all around us and is used by all of us daily. The time to rage against this new machine has passed and it is now time to move forward with the information gathered from it. In my opinion this machine isn't the one to blame entirely,but the mishandling of it, is the true issue. The misuse of the information provided is the true issue, but also the limited privacy. Users should be allowed to have privacy over their web searches, and their communications with others. Like Kate said technology is everywhere that being said it makes it very difficult for us to eliminate it entirely. Technology has had positive contributions to society by helping individuals from around the world stay interconnected with one another. This helps with relationships, businesses and it even saves lives with modern medicine. I think that even if we could, which i don't think we could, cause it would require an entire country of over 320 million people to unite in the effort. We shouldn't, because it does have a positive impact on society.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is moving at an extremely rapid rate, faster than it ever has before. In fact, Moore's Law states that for over the history of computing hardware, the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years! I will admit that these fast paced technological advancements are beneficial, and brings us one step closer to working more efficiently, curing diseases, and maybe even discovering new facets of space and time. However, everything comes with a cost. In my opinion, technology is improving at a faster rate than society is. Most of the population who use technology utilize it to be drones of social media and watch cat videos on youtube all day. It has called for a generation of human beings who would rather sit inside and play on the computer than go outside and explore nature. Not to mention the notion that "Big Brother" aka the government, can literally spy on you via these devices if necessary. Although I feel that the benefits of this new machine outweigh the negatives, I believe society should at least spread awareness about the issues I discussed.
ReplyDeleteReferring to Benjamin's comment, technology moving at a faster rate than society is not necessarily a bad thing. We use machines to make our lives more comfortable and not as an intermediary to live our lives for us. Even though technological advancement comes with a cost, we are mortals, we do not have to be so platonic and pretend to make everything perfect but we should constantly improve ourselves and accept our flaws. Humans have done this for centuries and we must keep pursing the unknown to satisfy our thirst for knowledge. It seems the problem is not technology itself but the people who are using it. If we cannot control ourselves, we should not be blaming machines. There are individuals who control machines and those who get controlled by machines. It is up to you which faction you would like to join.
DeleteHi Ben, I really enjoyed reading your post and I would have to agree with you, although technology is moving at a faster rate , sometimes it is for good and it does help society. I really enjoyed your thoughts great post
DeleteI do think it is too late for us to "rage against" these technological advances. We have come too far at an extremely quick rate and those who rely on technology so vastly can never go back at this point.
ReplyDeleteIt is too late to look back in our technology advances but it's not too late to prevent it from taking over our lives. It can be very beneficial for our learning if we don't allow it to learn for us. I feel like the technology we have accumulated is a good thing when used in the right where. When we live in a virtual world with out lifting our eyes to see the sun every once in a while, we've taken it way too far. It is a remarkable resource but shouldn't become our entire lives. I think by this point in our world we can't go back, but these advances can be used for the good if we choose to use them that way. It is up to each of us to choose how we want to use them.
This was published by Kaitlyn Jones
DeleteI agree with what you are saying. Good response! I agree that it is too late to turn back on technology because of how our society works today. If one were to rage on technology now, then they would be left behind in our society and would not be able to work or communicate effectively. I also agree that we have to decide for ourselves how far we will let technology influence our lives. I think it is important to decide now how much we want technology to influence our lives and then stick to our decision so that technology does not consume our lives.
DeleteBefore I start my response, let me say that Rage Against The Machine is a phenomenal band. I would love to see how much of their riches they gave over to the oppressed people they so vehemently took a stance for.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I honestly don't believe that it is our time to rage against the machine. I think that as a society we are past the idea of it being "too late." I think it is time that we take our position seriously and strive to be more responsible members of society. The advancing technology in our culture is here to stay. I am sorry if that comes as a shock to any of you, but it is the truth. There is no time to rage or stand up against what is already founded.
As Christians we are called to be the light of the world in every single situation. By all means, using technology and living in our society most definitely fall in the category of "every single situation." We are to spread the love that Jesus showed us while he was here on earth and I believe that we can do that in this day and age. Unplug when you are supposed to unplug and use technology responsibly to honor God when the time calls for it.
I think if one were to rage against this new machine, it would have been better to do so a while ago. The technology we have today is so world wide and used by and for everything. If we were to notice the new machines earlier on then maybe it would be possible to rage against them.
ReplyDeleteOne thing we can do is learn from it and improve the new machine for the better. It is good that we have spotted this issue, that way we can be aware of it. Technology is a great creation that we have in our world today. We ourselves have most likely become too dependent on it. We cannot just take away all technology in our lives. We have become accustomed to it.
As long as we don’t let it get out of hand and let it control every single aspect of our lives, it is a good thing. This is a bit hard because some people may become too dependent on our technological advances. I don’t think this world can manage if we were to disconnect from all type of technology. It is simply not possible anymore.
Throughout the course of our lives technology has rapidly developed and become more prominent in the everyday life. In today's society it would be near impossible to get through a day without using some sort of technology. Technology has now become engrained in all and everything that we do and are. We have the choice to either embrace it and use it positively or let it control us and destroy who we are. The idea of raging against the "new machine" is one of the past and from here on forward it would be best to simply focus on incorporating this "new machine" into our lives in a healthy manner. We are the ones who have had a glimpse of what life is life without some of these current technologies and it is our job to share this with the generations to come who will not ever be able to experience that. It is not necessarily that they would not want to experience that lifestyle but that it is very difficult with the technological dependency of this society. We are moving forward and there is no way back, so rather than placing an emphasis of stopping what is bound to happen, we must find an adequate balance of the incorporation of this "new machine" in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI think that we have been told all of our lives to rage against machines, but that is not the answer.The machine we are told to hate is what keeps us going. With this, I agree with Kate. Technology is everywhere, and we are dependent on it. We may hate the power that comes from the machine, but trying to change this is going to take time. Changing the machine means changing everything about our lives - are we ready for that? We should fight to control the power, not get rid of the machine entirely.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is of utmost importance because of how rapidly technology is increasing. I would agree with the main ideas in the post but do not really think it is an entirely “new machine” because if we look back onto certain technologies such as the cell phone, it is ever changing and still the same machine, but with endless functions and abilities now. Technologies such as the cell phone have in fact become something we cannot live without. Clearly, the machine runs our lives if we let it. It is rare to hear of someone who does not have both a smart phone and a laptop and who constantly uses those things as well. There is an ever increasing reliance we place on the machine and it becomes more and more evident the effect it has on our daily lives. We must be careful to not let technology be abused as its influence is so strong.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is too late to rage against machines because of how much technology has grown. These machines we talk about are used for far more than just our own personal uses. Technology plays such a vital role in everyone's life that it would be very hard to get ride of this technology. Although it is hard to picture a world without these machines we can take steps to not allow ourselves to be consumed by technology. Allowing ourselves to not be consumed by this can help us be more responsive to the real world and the people around us which would count as a rise against the machine.
ReplyDeleteHi shantell, i agree with you. It does seem a bit to late to rage against the machines because we have been surrounded by them for quite a while now. Something that is important to keep in mind is to not allow these machines control our lives. These things are material things and do not matter to God as much as we do. We have to focus on God and remember that he controls our world
DeleteAs many people have said, I agree that it is too late to rage against the machine. I also think that there never was a time where we should have raged against the machine. Technology has progressed our society in ways people never could have imagined. It has saved lives and improved our lifestyles. By saying that, I do not mean that all technology is good. We must set boundaries as to how and when we use technology. While technology should be used to help cure cancer, it should not be used to make a robot resembling a human. There are limits to how far technology should go and how much we should use it. While I think we should not rage against technology as a whole, we should rage against certain aspects of technology that are not moral and might harm humanity. We need to set boundaries for ourselves and stick to them to make a change in society as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested why you say that technology should not be used to make a robot resembling a human. Why is that the line you draw? I agree with most of your ideas, but do you think there should be some sort of standard humanity uses to decide where the boundary lies, because many technologies today become very subjectively ethical (i.e. stem cell research). Should we rely on the Bible to tell us what is right and wrong for technology and if so how literally should we use it as a guide?
DeleteJust some things that came to mind if we really wanted to plunge deep into this. Overall though, I agree that technology has progressed us in so many awesome ways but we need to be careful to know when we've gone too far.
I definitely believe that we have reached a point in our society at which it is too late to "rage against the machine" so to speak. I believe that our generation is basically the last one to have even a glimpse of what life is like without the constant use and connivence of technology. The generations after us know nothing but a world run by the ever growing, powerful, and consuming ability of technology. Because of this, I believe that trying to cut the tie between humanity and technology is virtually impossible. Even if one wanted to go about and try ridding their personal life of technology, they would face trials everyday because the use of technology in one form or another is literally everywhere you go. Engineers are even at a point in their advancements that they are able to create robots that are capable of replacing complicated tasks once done before by humans. Should we rage against the machine? Yes, 30 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI agree our society is too late to "rage against the machine." When you say that our generation is basically the last one to have a glimpse of what life is like without the constant us e and convenience of technology, I think that we are already in the stage where we cannot live without the constant use and convenience of technology. I believe this, because electricity, computers, phones, and cars are all technology. Most of our generation lived with all of these. I agree that it would be impossible to live without technology.
DeleteAlso, I believe that we can still rage against the machine, not in a way to get rid of it but rather so that we can try to direct technology so that we use it for the better of the world.
It is too late to rage against the machine. We pretty much are the last generation to see life before the machine really took over our lives. Now everyone depends on technology and the machine is only getting bigger and faster, and smarter. We just have to make sure we direct it towards positivity and stay away from making it consume our lives more so than it has now.
DeleteFernando,
DeleteEven though we are the last generation to see life before the machine took over, I do not think it is too late to rage against it. The key however is taking little steps. We would never been able to stop completing and just put technology down, but we can begin with subtle avoidance and lessening the use of technology
Agreeing with what most people have said, I do believe that it is too late for us to rage against this new machine. Even if we wanted to rage against it, we wouldn’t be able to do so. It is in our human nature to explore, create, and develop. Technology has advanced so far that today’s culture depends on it. Companies will always be competing against each other, looking for new ways to produce better phones, computers, tablets, and so on. A few examples of how society has benefited from technology include saving and preserving lives in the medical field, allowing musicians to share and sell their music online, offering students online courses and providing easy access to academic material/resources, expanding and increasing production in the business field, and making transportation faster and easier for travel.
ReplyDeleteEven though all these advancements are great, technology has been an obstacle for humankind to live life to its fullest. The rise of technology will contribute to the rise of unemployment. The invention of robots has been increasing, taking over manual labor and leaving a lot of people jobless. Today, instead of using direct communication, many of us expect our friends and families to know what’s happening in our lives through current updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other forms of social media. We’ve forgotten the value of having deep connections and conversations with one another that isn’t mediated by bits and bytes. Another downside is that we don’t use or exercise our capabilities to think and problem-solve when facing questions and challenges since we can find answers on the Internet in a blink of an eye. Also, we no longer have to bring physical Bibles to church because we can access Scripture through apps on our phones.
Despite what technology can do to improve and develop our society, none of it can offer us the same joy we get when giving and receiving full attention during interactions and going outdoors. So even though it might be too late to rage against the machine, in the end, we still have the authority to either control the machine or let it control us. Live life abundantly.
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ReplyDeleteI think that it is too late to destroy the new machine. It is integrated in our lives. Technology is involved in people’s dating life, exercise, and our life as a whole. There are positive things about the new machine. Electricity gives us light at night, warm water, microwave, and so on. Computers help teachers and others easy access to information around the world. It can be helpful to students and communication to each other even though they are hours away from us. Robots are able to do things that humans are incapable of doing. For instance, the U.S. Navy’s robotic firefighter, Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR), is used to aid firefighters in tasks that are too dangerous or incapable by humans. A fire in a ship is critical danger. The Navy is trying to control the use of this robot, by making sure that it only assists the firefighters by taking orders from humans instead of taking their jobs altogether.
ReplyDeleteThere are negative consequences to them, as it is for most things. People are constantly on their phones or computers. Many people are addicted to their phones and the apps. Most people wake up and go to sleep after looking at their phone. We rely on our technology to memorize information. It makes us lazy and unintelligent. Google gives people immediate information, but most people use it in a way that it makes them mindless. Although technology can benefit education, it makes children more stupid. Additionally, There is no privacy anymore, so Big Brother is existent in our lives.
Rage against the Machine: was too extreme. I believe that people should be in the gray area for most things. People are raging against technology that is negatively affecting our lives. For example, people are voicing their opinions about how it leads to isolation and lack of social skills, no privacy, increased in cyber bullying, and so on. Most of the times, these awareness are heard through social media. I believe that if people rage against the harmful aspects of the new machine, we can get decrease the level of harm done. Change is not necessarily a bad thing; it is what we do with the change that matters. I am also an optimist. I believe that human beings are the ones who try to control the powerful, but also the powerful are the human beings, most with a desire for control and money. This is what needs to change. We should try to desire to be how God wants us to be.
I believe that rage is an improper reaction against “the machine.” There is a place for uprising, there is a place for conflict, and there is a place for standing up for what one believes in. But sometimes it may not look like standing up, sometimes it looks more like sitting. Through people such as Gandhi, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr., the world has seen that non-violent retaliation is a viable option to create change. These tactics may seem idealistic and weightless, but there is power in non-violence, and I believe Jesus is the ultimate example of this. Just as we face “the machine,” Jesus faced his own in the Roman Empire. The glory of Pax Romana was the subjugation of peoples and consistent bombardment of propaganda and imperial cult worship. This is the world Jesus and those he spoke to lived in.
ReplyDeleteThe messianic expectation of the Israelites was that another Hammer of Judah, like Judas Maccabaeus would arise to take down the Roman Empire and usher in a new kingdom of YHWH. Jesus, as the Messiah, did not live up to these expectations, which is why many Jews denied him. However, Jesus did usher in the Kingdom of God, and it did come violently; but the violence was done unto him. Instead of coming to slaughter, Jesus came and was slaughtered. His death ushered in the victory of the resurrection, brought about a new kingdom which would stand up against the Roman Empire. This is embodied by the early Christian church’s witness in martyrdom. They faced the machine and died to the machine. Their stance was one of non-violence, and this testament to Jesus’ life and work spoke to his followers.
Our response is to be the same. We are to “die” to the machine as the early church did. I do not mean to literally die, for as Western Christians we now stand in the place of power, and new-martyrdom looks different. We need to understand where our true citizenship lies, and live accordingly, which means violence is not the answer. The answer is love. I would rather be called a radical lover, an idealist, and soft, than to use my faith to put others down. If we really love our neighbor, love those that we see, there will be change in the world. If our “rage against the machine” takes a non-violent, resistant turn of loving all others, only then can we testify to how Jesus dies to “the machine.”
I believe that it is too late too rage against the machines. It has pretty much taken over everything. The way we communicate to our neighbors and to the people across the world it is only possible through computer technology. Its invaded to our way of life. The way we show our lives, watch our entertainment, its all because of this machine that we are now able to show pretty much the world about ourselves. There are positives to the machine. We do have incredible amount of progress from this new machine and as well as negatives. However, I don't think the machine will tear us down. We hopefully will have a good grasp of it and when to slow down this machine instead of it consuming our lives.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that because of societies need and obsession with technology it is a little too late to rage against machines. The machine we use now have many more different uses than just for ourselves. From the moment we wake up which is probably by an alarm clock we are using technology, so to live without as a whole would be extremely difficult and scary for most people. I think that in order to re-create a healthy society we much start limiting ourselves but especially limit young children against the different machines and technology that we use.
ReplyDeleteAshley,
DeleteI agree with you on the fact that because of how dependent society has become with technology, it is too late to rage about this now. You are right when you say we need to start limiting not only ourselves but our children as well. If we are so dependent on technology and were college students, I can not imagine how dependent children will be with technology in a few years. We have to stat cutting back now.
I actually think that it isn't too late to rage against the machine, the new machine we have seen to develop. The real question is, do we need to? I think many of us can say that we want to get away from using technology as much as we do now, but the truth technology is hard to get away from. It runs just about every aspect of our life. From the time we wake up in the morning until the time we finally decide to go to sleep. Technology is always influencing us as well and is the means the fuels our soul for what we find most interesting. Using technology I do no think is a bad thing, but the extent in how much we use it is what seems to become the problem.
ReplyDeleteI believe the damage is done when it comes to technology because technology is so advance that people are all into their devices. As people we are so dependent on the devices that we don't make time to connect with people. It also varies on how we use the technology for good or for bad.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with the fact that it is too late for us to go on this rage over how much we depend on technology and how much it has impacted our lives. We live in a society where everything is somehow connected to technology. We have become dependent on this machine.The amount of power technology has now a days makes it almost impossible to remove it.I agree with Jessica and how it is up to the person on how much control they are going to give technology.Technology is going to continue to grow and we just need to stick firm on our position with it. Are we going to let technology control our every moves? Or put a stop to it and not be on our cell phones or laptops every minute of our days?
ReplyDeleteThe time for us to complain and rage about our use of technology has come and passed, today's society has become too dependent on it. Our news is now an app on our phones, in out social media, or sent to us in an email. Parents can now track their kids, text them instead of making time to call them, or connect their child's car to their phone and set boundaries and speeding limits. I do believe that we can rage against how much we use it. If you're bored at home and want to go on twitter/instagram/facebook all you want but today people are on their phones ALL the time, we even have a law about not being on your cellphone while driving! My boyfriend is a Marine and I am only able to see him on the weekends, while he is here I am off my phone as much as possible even if we are just driving in the car. I want to be there with him not just sitting there. My mother knows I am safe with him and doesn't try to contact me unless she needs me and most other people can be ignored. After having this mindset, I have become a lot less dependent on my technology, I don't need to be connected all the time.
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