The technologies of modern times are full of gleam and glitter. They are declared to be the products of painstaking and pathbreaking research. They are touted as the result of great discoveries of the scientific principles governing the vast universe and of revolutionary inventions based thereon. They are hailed as the harbingers of great beneficial changes in the lives of billions of humans inhabiting this planet.
They are supposedly intended as instruments of further economic development and growth for the 193 nations that together hold a population of 8 billion people worldwide. But what if I were to tell you that most of the so-called modern technologies are crude, cruel, and inferior? What if I were to call them technologies based on an incomplete or even, in some cases, incorrect understanding of material nature? What if we were told that almost all modern technologies in various domains of human endeavour are environment-polluting and nature-unfriendly? Furthermore, how will you take the insinuation that most of the above technologies are also devoid of human values? They are, unfortunately.
We have to go to the fundamentals of material nature. We have to go to the original, timeless knowledge base provided in the Vedic scriptures by the omniscient, divine creator of the universe. All humans are His creation, and He handed down to the earliest humans at the dawn of creation, more than 1.96 billion years ago, all knowledge in coded and cryptic form. That fundamental knowledge is embodied in the universal, timeless, and cosmic scriptures called the Vedas.
It stands to reason that the master and creator of the universe knows best how humans created by Him should live and behave-what type of technologies they should develop and use for preserving peace, stability, and health. He provided to humans a set of coded principles or values called Dharma for assiduous adherence by humans. Dharma is the code of righteous living and includes, in its broad ambit, pure, unsullied, true knowledge which even covers all sciences and technologies. Let us see how today’s technologies are harsh on all the primordial elements of Mother Nature called out in Vedic scientific literature-air, earth, fire, water, and ether.
Today’s surface transport vehicles are air-polluting and earth (soil)-polluting. These include automobiles and aeroplanes. Many parts and components of these vehicles, including electric batteries, are biodegradable after use. All modes of electricity generation-coal or diesel-based thermal, hydropower, nuclear power, and even solar and wind power-are not without well-known deleterious effects on the environment. Solar panels are largely biodegradable after a lifespan of 25 years. Wind power turbines pose hazards to birds.
Chemical process industries are heavily air-polluting. Petroleum and petrochemical industries are both earth-polluting and air-polluting. Oil-digging and extraction activities create big holes below the earth which, apart from upsetting the proportion of natural substances underground, disturb the disposition of the earth’s tectonic plates.
The baneful effects of the release of factory pollutants, even after treatment by chemicals, into rivers and seas contaminate natural water bodies, thus adversely affecting aquatic flora and fauna. Continuous use of chemical fertilisers and genetically modified seeds is leading to erosion of soil fertility and undermining the intrinsic, natural quality and flavour of cereals, fruits, and vegetables.
Ether, the other prime element of Mother Nature, is being heavily defiled by electromagnetic radiation in the form of microwaves emanating from mobile telephony towers and other wireless communication equipment. This important aspect needs more elaboration. The microwaves are not low-frequency waves; they have a high frequency, falling between radio waves and infrared on the electromagnetic spectrum. They are of a frequency higher than radio waves but lower compared to visible light. Microwaves have frequencies from approximately 300 MHz to 300 GHz and are used for applications like radar, cell phones, and cooking.
The content of microwaves in natural background radiation is being increased by the extensive generation of microwave energy for these applications. This is disturbing the natural proportion of microwaves in the ethereal space and hence polluting it. And global warming is eloquently exhibiting that our fancied technologies are vitiating the subtle primaeval element of fire (Agni) of Mother Nature. The most recent technological wonders are computer hardware, computer software, and artificial intelligence.
These are primarily intended for increasing gross economic output or the replacement of humans by machines or computing algorithms. This is going to exploit more and more of natural materials, including rare earth metals, and leave post-usage residual substances that are only partially recyclable, and their recycling processes are also environmentally degrading.
We now come to human values that are supposed to go with technologies and their usage. A Vedic derivative text, the Maha Upanishad, carries the message that the world is one family and all humans are connected through fraternal bonds, being children of the one creator.
This divine message indirectly conveys that humans, cutting across nations and continents, should treat other humans as members of one global family and design institutions, systems, and even technologies and technology-based processes accordingly.
Further, moderation (non-greed), compassion, honesty, and truthfulness are values that must be adhered to in both development and usage of technological implements. They should be conducive to equitable wealth creation and distribution. Simply stated, our technologies should not only be environment-friendly but also aligned with eternally relevant, divine human values. Our scientists, engineers, and, most of all, political leaders should become alive to the above stark truths and take corrective action before it is too late.
Let us not wait to face the powerful, retributive fury of Mother Nature, some of the milder symptoms of which are already being seen in the form of climate change, flooding of cities, cracking of roads, melting of snow peaks, violent landslides, and crumbling hillsides.
The author is a management consultant based in New Delh
