In martial arts, there always comes a point where the student surpasses the teacher. And the student, with the knowledge gained, becomes the master. The knowledge is then squared and so on. Well at least that’s what I learned from the many hours of watching Kung Fu Theater as a kid on Saturday morning.
Today, we are not just passing our knowledge down to other human beings, but in some ways we are passing it down to technology. My washing machine knows how much water to add based on data from sensors. In the same way, it knows that it should spin the clothing more to get extra water out. Likewise, the dryer shuts itself off or extends the time if it detects the clothes are still damp. Less than a decade ago, you would have had to check the dryer and curse it for having to turn the knob (Remember that little dial thing – oh the days of old) to add more time.
It is rare we even use our own innate knowledge to get from one place to another. We have become so dependent on our GPS to tell us what to do; we’ve all seen stories of people driving into walls because the GPS told them to. While maybe the GPS was wrong (maybe even self-destructive, hehehe), but who drove into the wall? If you have Microsoft Sync in your car, the damn thing actually seems to get mad at you and mock you, especially if you have an accent. 😛 Ask most people which way is north these days and they spin around like a top to randomly point in a direction.
We have become so dependent on technology to help us with complicated or even simple problems it has now started replacing our basic instincts. There is a new dumbing of America on the rise, a dumbing of the physical processing power of the brain. In another 10 years, our appliances may just be as smart as a 10-year-old. They grow up so quick, don’t they?
Bryan DeLuca
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