Throeu

Thoreau’s philosophy would totally be against what this world has become today. The man who believed that someone could live off the land entirely would be appalled with what we are today. Although he would be totally against what this world is now made up of, it is not all bad. Therefore the qualification of Thoreau’s view is probably the better of the three choices. One of the many things that are problematic with today’s advancements is the advancements in the field of war. The ability that we have to kill a fellow human being with just a squeeze of the finger should seem like enough to instill fear in the minds of thousands. Now we are able to do it faster, easier, and more efficient than ever. If fallen into the wrong hands it is possible for a single man to wipe out an entire ethnic group living in close proximity to each other with a flick of the switch. It is also apparent that today’s youth is becoming more and more likely to be violent and not listen to authority. An obvious reasoning for this would be due to the advancements in entertainment technology. The new and approved gaming systems now play games like Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row that enable kids to virtually be a part of gangs and are exposed to very mature subjects like drug abuse and violence. Another thing could be the easy availability of music that could be harmful to teenagers. The genre’s of rap and hip-hop seem to be nothing more than songs about sex and getting money by any means necessary. Teenagers soon idolize these rappers and figure that it is cool to do drugs and hurt people. These things are having a perverse influence on kids today that seem to be making them more susceptible to the cruel things this world now harbors. Although it seems this world is no longer a good place, there are still some gems of virtue that are around today because of the very existence of technology. The advancement in the field of medicine is by far more superior to those of the days of Thoreau. Now we are able to diagnose and treat an illness without a problem. Diseases that were once able to kill thousands of people in a year now don’t even exist. The influenza virus that once was thought to be the bane of human life can now be prevented with a shot and treated with a pill. The world is now a safer place from diseases and viruses because of technology. The world today would cause nothing but heart ache for Thoreau. People buying ready to eat meals at a super store and placing them in a microwave would make Thoreau shake his head. Although the world he invisions is not the one we live in, it does not mean that this world would be a totally bad world to him. This world is not totally evil. The ability for missionaries to fly to places like Africa and poverty stricken areas in Central America and bring them clothing, food, and hope are not bad things. Neither is the ability to bring hope to the family of cancer patients. The fact that we are now able to treat cancer and are working on a cure for it is better than slowly waiting for that eight year old boy with skin cancer to be out of pain. Therefore Thoreau’s view would have to be qualified. Technology has made Earth a dark world, but it is not totally evil. There is still hope for a bright future for all humans alike.