For the human race to advance into unprecedented peace and prosperity, the studies or understanding of technology and communication must be balanced.
I often read and watch science fiction stories, and even though a disaster or some occurrence changes the status quo of the futuristic settings, grand places rest in these tales, where technology and communication have obviously bonded. People work together, yet they all have their different jobs that fall into their interests. All for the betterment of some ideal.
On the other hand, our ideals constantly falter because more value has always been placed on technology rather than ample communication.
Wars and economical imbalances crop up because we don’t understand each other. We don’t know how to communicate. We haven’t learned how to share.
But grasping technology has never been a problem for humankind: guns, bombs, automobiles, electric appliances, computers and phones. The average person probably cares more about his cell phone plan than the communication styles of the people around him.
If you keep thinking along these lines, the conclusion will seize you: the upper, middle and lower classes are separated by technology.
Upper class citizen: jet plane.
Middle class citizen: automobile.
Lower class citizen: anything he or she can find and use.
Basically, this is the reason why Marx was right when he talked about the “Haves” and “Have-Nots.” In the abstract, it’s not the money that makes you powerful. It’s what you can get with the money. And technology ranks above anything you can get.
Without technology, life would be slow and clumsy at best. Naturally, technology is what people want. You can work easier, travel farther, live more comfortably and utilize all things in a better way.
Technology helps us. But it also separates the powerful from the weak. As long as technology increases, the wars between the classes will continue.
Yet can we stop them? Many say no. Most Americans have unabashedly accepted capitalism, even though it definitely fails in many instances. Communism consistently has errors that never go away. And socialism is a flawed mixture of the two.
This is where communication can step in and halt these class wars that we struggle through. However, capitalism is not going to lead the way if this could happen.
More than likely, the only way we can truly reach our potential as a species is if we adopt a type of communism when the time is right. This may upset you because of your American upbringing, but allow me to expand your knowledge about a group called the Oneida Community.
During the 1800s, the Oneida Community was a religious group that denied private property and reveled in duty. The Oneidans shared everything, even children and wives. The group practiced mutual criticism, a way the Oneidans tactfully criticized each other (the technique was successful in improving members). Their sociological structure was nearly flawless, according to “Extraordinary Groups” by William W. Zellner.
The community did fall apart after its leader, John Humphrey Noyes, resigned to flee the charge of statutory rape. However, despite Noyes’s ethical shortcomings, the communistic and economical systems of the Oneidans worked (the group developed a trap market that made millions).
Oneida serves as an example of how communication and the complete sharing of technology can bind us together. One language. One standard. One understanding.
Of course, fundamentalist Christians often become weary when they hear things like these because of Revelation. From this book, many have interpreted that the Antichrist will come and bring peace to the world at first, uniting everyone under one order.
Even if you’re not religious, a man like the Antichrist should bother you. After all, even if a peaceful utopia can be achieved, Murphy’s Law says that a figure like the Antichrist could use it for his own evil purposes.
But I believe humankind can work together and become a greater species. You ask, “How can this happen?”
If technology can be distributed equally among all humankind, and if we all can communicate in a way in order to arrive at this end, this advancement can take place.
You may still be disgruntled by this communistic idea, but not all aspects of communism are terrible. Christ and early Christians shared like they were supposed to. These great men and women did not live by capitalism. Their lives were driven by good will, communication and a form of communism.
Furthermore, you could argue that Christianity became corrupt because wicked men took it into their hands. You could argue that anything like Christianity would eventually die in a flurry of forgotten promises.
That’s why we have the communication department. Some still look at it as a joke, partly because of some of its followers, and partly because it’s a relatively new field. But it basically operated in the shadow of the English department for many years.
If everyone could value communication and how to make compromises, then everything else would fall into place.
Please note that I didn’t say the communication department teaches one how to be perfect. My emphasis, journalism, has produced some of the most dishonest and abhorrent people. That’s why I encourage you to not focus on the media as examples. Focus on the differences between the various communication styles.
Therefore, I encourage you to do a few things. Place aside any bias. Learn how others communicate. Take a class to help you with insight. Instead of living like the usual selfish American, try sharing with others.
It’s something I should work on as well.