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The suffering soul in the scientific age

Outline:

1)      Introduction

2)      Positive aspects of science

3)      Negative aspects

4)      Soul suffering

5)      Conclusion

Garbage at the river-side

The modern times have experienced many different changes in the world like the introduction of newer religions, explorations of new lands and formation and destruction of empires but the entity which completely changed the life of the man is none other than the science. Science has helped humanity in the discovery of hidden secrets, the invention of new things and in reaching new planets such as the moon, mercury, and Jupiter etc. Though scientific applications have brought numerous advantages to the human life yet it has also impacted us in many harmful ways. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

The positive impacts of science are numerous, ranging from tiny integrated chips to the Boeing airplanes, from the study of DNA to the study of human evolution, from the study of small particles in the soil to the discovery of giant planets like Jupiter etc. These effects of science are not limited to any particular field of life rather they spread all over the sphere. Take the internet as an example; it has revolutionized the whole world with the flow of information and ease of communication. Now through internet one can communicate with near and dear ones and with other people in any part of the world within a blink of an eye. The Internet has also sparked a new wave of online business activities such as electronic commerce, online marketing, and freelancing etc.

Besides the internet, we are also experiencing a vast network of ATM machines throughout the world, which can be used to withdraw money at any point of time. Similarly, the invention of cellular phones, refrigerators, and televisions has brought a radical change in the life of man. In future, most of the people would be looking forward to buying robots to carry out daily life chores and other duties for them. These robots have been used in some industries and factories on the experimental basis and if scientific development continued at this pace they will become an important part of our lives sooner than later.

The revolutionary inventions and discoveries have brought everything at the fingertips of the human being but also have produced miseries and afflictions for the soul. The soul does not enjoy the perks and privileges that it once used to. The materialistic nature of science has transformed the human being into a type of robot who does not know the feeling of others living on the same planet. Religion, which was once considered to be the core of human civilization, is now a just personal view that has nothing to do with the morals of the time. Religion is losing its value with time and more and more people are becoming materialistic and atheistic.

The loss of religious values and morals is becoming the loss of spiritualism, which is denting the humankind in the very base. This huge lost in evident of the number of old age inductees into the old age homes in the western world and the lack of sparing time for the friends, relatives, family and even for oneself. The loss of religion can rightly be called the loss of spiritualism and humanity. Religion never rejects the evolution of science and technology but also does not allow the man to solely become the chaser of worldly wishes. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) says,” Live in the world as if you are a stranger or a traveler along the path” (Bukhari Sharif). Similarly, Hazrat Ali says, “I have divorced the world thrice”. The saying of the Prophet (S.a.w) and his beloved companion shows that religion focuses more on the spiritual needs of a human than on the materialistic needs.

Internet was one of the miracles of the 20th century that have changed the whole complexion of human life in many positive ways but its ill-effects are also un-ignorable. Though the internet has significantly reduced the physical distance between people living in different parts of the world but has increased the distance between their hearts. Now people instead of physically meeting their beloved ones just send them text messages containing words with superficial expressions. The special occasions like Eid, Christmas and Diwali etc, which were considered to be the occasions of sharing of love and greetings by meeting each other, have now become a matter of a single message of conveyance of good wishes. Similarly, the occasions of sharing sorrow and grief with the family of deceased relatives have become just photo sessions. This shows the level of degeneration of the ethical and moral values in our society.

The transport system which is the backbone of the modern day business and commercial activities is another miraculous outcome of the scientific advancement but it has also caused huge problems for the common man. The pollution of numerous of vehicles moving on the roads is a killer pill for the human life.  Similarly, the pollution caused by the fertilizers and inflow of the waste products of industries into the Seas, rivers, canals and water supply system is hazardous. The pollution is broadly classified into four types; noise, air, water and soil pollution. All of these types are making the very existence of life on the planet earth extremely difficult. The extermination of many species from the earth surface due to widespread pollution and deforestation is a negative trend which if not stopped will jeopardize the human existence.

The defense sector is another sector of which the science rightly boasts due to the rapid advancements in it. The defense industry has manufactured weapons that can wipe out enemies in minutes or even seconds without big effort but has also created havoc in the world. The blood of millions of innocent people killed during the First World War and Second World War is in the hands of science. The deadly atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the hands of Americans are just one example of the huge destruction that it has caused. The matter of much greater concern is that what would happen to the world if another world war broke out between major powers.

The third World War would surely end with the destruction of the whole world, God forbid.  Even the greater threat is the possibility of reach of rogue states and non-state terrorist organizations to the nuclear weapons. If such organizations get nuclear weapons then it would lead to a scenario of Armageddon in the world. The introduction of chemical and biological weapons in the battlefield will make it even more alarming for the mankind.

Today man is going to book apartments in other planets besides the fact that his fellow human beings are even without a temporary shelter on the earth. Today man is building skyscrapers even though his own fellow men are without a home. Today humans are inventing different recipes and foods although his own countrymen are without any food. This shows the lack of spiritual and humanistic feeling in the minds of rich people for the poor lot and this gap is due to the gap of one and only, money. Why we cannot explore other technologies for the benefit of humankind, why cannot we use the internet to bring comfort to humanity, why cannot we use transport as a source of business activities without affecting the atmosphere? Why can we not use defense industry and nuclear energy for the benefit of humankind?

These questions need to be answered and I think the answer is simple and that is our lack of interest in religious and moral and our attraction to the worldly materials, as Einstein says, “ Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind”. We need to take full advantage of the worldly treasures that God has bestowed upon us but at the same time, we have to keep ourselves updated with the spiritual needs of humanity. We should not become mere machines without any feeling and emotions but the threat is there in the wake of the scientific invasion of humanity. Martin Luther King says,“ Our scientific power has overturned our spiritual power, we have guided missiles but unguided men”.





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2 comments:

  1. outline and contents need to improve.

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    1. We try to improve our content. Thank you so much for your suggestions. Your suggestions are a huge encouragement.

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