There's this belief, very common on HN, in technology as the solution to any and all problems facing humanity. In a way, technology has become a religion - "any

There's this belief, very common on HN, in technology as the solution to any and all problems facing humanity. In a way, technology has become a religion - "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". Technology was in many ways the force that shaped the last century - it changed warfare, transport, communications, agriculture, medicine. Technology promised us a future of unlimited growth, with ourselves as masters of the universe and of our destiny. But by submitting ourselves to the cult of technology, we've removed ourselves from the world, and thus lost our connection to the world, with its myriad living creatures and endless mysteries. In building ourselves castles of concrete and steel and experiencing our consciousness through 5" screens, we have become isolated and desensitized. It is deeply ironic that the age of ubiquitous communication is also the age of alienation. And it is deeply distressing that so much time and effort goes into developing and manufacturing space rockets, mobile phones, new cars, while so little is being done, it seems, about ensuring our future on this planet. I have become convinced that for us to have a better future we actually need to give ourselves a break from technology, in absolutely all facets of life: the food we eat, our personal health, the way we participate in our community and in political life, and our place in relation to this earth that is our home.