The year was 4000 B.C. A new culture arose between rivers Euphratis and Tigris in the Near East, the Sumerians. They founded cities, they built irrigation canals, they invented some sort of handwriting.
Sumerians used their intelligence to better their lives instead of doing donkey-work for the whole time.
Say Hi to Technology
Do you want to know what is behind the rapid growth of average level of living? The answer is plain enough - technology. Take a walk in your home. Almost everything you lay your eyes upon is a result of technical progress; computer, television, light, washing machine.
For example the washing machine. For thousands of years women faced a serious problem - how to keep the clothes clean and fragrant with only a small effort. Generations of women were forced to spend hours by rivers or manual washers. Today, thanks to technology, hours are reduced to mere minutes.
Development of Mankind
The better the technology is, the better is our understanding of the world around us. People in primeval times feared a storm, because they didn't comprehend it. Their imagination tortured them with fighting gods or the end of the world. I think it would be much harder to find a man or a women in Europe today, who thought that storm is a rage of gods...
There is of course another, very significant aspect behind technical progress. In fact, any kind of advancement would be impossible without this element. Wondering what it is?
Science is The Key
Oh yes, sad but true. It is the scientific comprehension that enabled the rapid development through last decades. Brilliant minds often repell general public by their looks and way of life. Ingenious scientist are usually presented as villains who are trying to enslave the world, like Doctor Frankenstein.
That's not true. Unfortunately, science requires an effort of mind. Ask yourselves, whether "effort of mind" is popular in the consumer society. Any ideas? Yep, that's it - the answer is no. It definitely isn't in fashion. Quite the opposite, the motto today is "enjoy today, think tomorrow!"
What Does the Future Hold?
We should understand one thing. The more advanced our society will become, the less time we'll have to spend to ensure our survival. There is a common problem: If a new machine is invented, it "steals" work. In other words, it takes the oppurtinity from a workman to make money and thus not starve to death.
Usually, the workman meets the new machine with repulsion. He enteres labor union and demands his work back. He is oblivious to the fact he harms the whole society by blocking our development, but on the other hand, he doesn't have much choice. If there was a social order, where majority of people don't need to work like donkeys for their whole life, everyone would benefit from it.
Is that even possible? That's up to each of us.
