Effect of Technological Advancement

I often think about what life must have been like a few centuries ago, whithout all the complex technological apparatus we have today. I can't help but feel, though technology has it's pro's, the cons far outweigh it. I am quite positive I was born in the wrong era. I would do anything to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and live on a farm if it all possible.

I often hear my parents and other elderly people often speaking about how good life was in their times, even with all the difficulties they faced there was so much barakah in everything, from the little they earned they could do so much and were always content and did not face the many fitnah's we face today. That was not even a century ago.

Do you think a life without the complex technology of today would have made it any easier to remain steadfast on the deen of Islam? How many times has the tv, internet or shopping malls kept us from performing salaah or reciting quran?

Imagine no television, no internet, no cellphones no shopping malls, no fancy cars you have to work youself into the ground for to try and purchase, would that mean less distraction and more free time to practise islam, or is just that our imaan is significantly weaker thats why we cannot face up to these challenges. I am not arguing that technology does not have it's positives, one very notable advancement would be airplanes, without which it would take weeks if not months to go for hajj or umrah.

The real question is, Is it worth it??

No, In my opinion.
Technology complicates life and distracts attention.

Well you'd have a hard time living if it were centuries before! People would often die of trivial diseases and the amount of suffering poor people felt was unimaginable. Thankfully, technology has made life a lot better; it has eliminated racial borders and facilitated global communication; it has produced medicine and cures for diseases that have eliminated MUCH suffering around the world; and let's not forget that technology has made knowledge much easier to spread. Even from an Islamic perspective, the internet has probably converted tons of people who would otherwise not hear about Islam.

Yes, technology has created distractions but I think the culture has become less religious and that's more to blame than technology itself for distracting Muslims.

I think when older folk talk about how good the good old days were they are just reminiscing in times long ago. Romanticism!

Lynx said:

Well you'd have a hard time living if it were centuries before! People would often die of trivial diseases and the amount of suffering poor people felt was unimaginable. Thankfully, technology has made life a lot better; it has eliminated racial borders and facilitated global communication; it has produced medicine and cures for diseases that have eliminated MUCH suffering around the world; and let's not forget that technology has made knowledge much easier to spread. Even from an Islamic perspective, the internet has probably converted tons of people who would otherwise not hear about Islam.

Yes, technology has created distractions but I think the culture has become less religious and that's more to blame than technology itself for distracting Muslims.

I think when older folk talk about how good the good old days were they are just reminiscing in times long ago. Romanticism!

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In terms of diseases I think there will always be challenges, a few centuries ago they did'nt have cures for many so called curable disease today, but then we just have new diseases, take for examle HIV and Cancer. I just regard diseases as nothing more than a mere excuse for death, we all have to die some day irrespective of the condition.

In terms of reducing suffering it has created alot of suffering as well, Gulf oil spill, nuclear wars, increased radiation, global warming, deterioration of the ozone layer to name just a few. In fact man today has at his disposal the power to eradicate entire mankind at the push of a button in the form of nuclear warheads.

Communication is much improved, telephones, internet etc, but it has it's negatives as well, you can easily spread lies about a nation or religion, like in the case of Islam, how many people have actually bought what they have read about islam without really bothering to find out the facts. It has also spread immorality in the form of pornography etc.

I also think that the culture shift just did'nt happen over night, it is the materialism of the modern world that has brought this shift in mindset, this is obviously my opinion which is open to debate.