Progress - For Good Or Ill?

"Progress always involves risks; you can't steal second base and keep your foot on first base." ~Frederick Wilcox

First off, let me share that I am only writing this as a response to a blog post by a good friend. So before you continue with this post, it's probably a good idea to check out his post here.

I took a lot of classes in college and as expected, many of them were monotonous, boring and in terms of my career, also pointless. But there were those few classes that stood out. One of them was Spanish 343: Advanced Conversation and Composition. And the reason it stands out has nothing to do with the Spanish language but instead with this concept of "is progress good or bad?"

Well, after reading Jeff's post, it brought back memories of that class and the countless hours we spent in the classroom talking (in Spanish) about that concept. I will say, I do agree with much of what Jeff says. I mean, who can argue that pollution, nuclear bombs and overpopulation are good things? I know I could if I had a gun to my head or a debate to win but I'd be lying to myself.

But for as much as I agree that progress brings bad, I agree more that it brings good. Let me explain.

I am a big believer in progress being a good thing. I disagree that with the sentiment that "if you're not moving forward, you're moving backward". In my mind, there's a middle ground there where one can just be stagnant. And that's where I think we all end up if we don't make progress. We just live in this world that refuses to take chances. We believe in the endless possibilities but don't pursue them. We do the same things over and over even though there are better or more efficient ways to conquer even the simplest tasks. That's not a world I want to live in.

Just think. In the past 40-50 years, we've made amazing discoveries in medicine that have extended and/or improved the quality of life. Every day (I think/hope/pray), we are making progress in finding cures for incurable diseases such as AIDS and cancer. Every day, we are working on new machines that can detect and diagnose diseases earlier than ever before. Doctors have been around for centuries but thanks to the great work of many who refused to be stagnant, their work is not necessarily easier as Jeff's opening quote might suggest, but it's gotten better.

And Jeff also brings up how social ineptitude has been a byproduct of progress. In some ways, I do agree. Technology has brought about a whole new way of interacting with others and for some, it is the more preferred way. But again, where would be without this? Let's be serious. People are still interacting with each other face to face all the time. Whether that be at school, work, or just out and about in their daily lives.

So does all this new technology "diminish the effectiveness of our daily interactions"? I doubt it. Of all things, I think it enhances it because there is more interaction in general. Like Jeff said, we can connect with hundreds and thousands of people now. People from different backgrounds with different beliefs and values. How can this not be a good thing?

And Jeff's suggestion about how effective can typed words on a computer screen be is off base in my mind too. As a writer and avid reader himself, I figured he would appreciate writing of any kind but apparently if it's not face-to-face, it's not a positive thing. Words on paper or screen are effective and sometimes, even more effective than face-to-face interaction. And since people are bound to have that human interaction in their daily lives, I think Jeff is being a bit harsh in his assessment. Yes, the facial expressions, pitch/tone, and hand gestures are important but hey, isn't electronic communication better than no communication at all?

I also think the "over-reliance" argument is a bit off. So all the computers in the world shut down? God help us all, understood. But think of where we would be without the technological advances that we have seen? Instead of immediately bashing how America would freak out about it, think of the horrible situations we would be in now without them. Important communications would be that much slower. Our safety as a nation would be compromised. Any advances we have made in medicine probably do not happen. I could go on and on.

I could bring up more arguments about how progress is a good thing but I'll stop there. I understand we are a lazier generation. Why? I'm not exactly sure. But I refuse to blame it solely on the progress that been made because the progress that's been made was by those who obviously were not lazy, but instead wanted change and were willing to take risks. Again, instead of seeing progress as a way making things "easier", how about seeing it as a way of making things "better".

Jeff finishes his post with a nugget to ponder: "Because there's something to keep in mind about progress…if two people who are walking come upon a fork in the road and head the same direction, only to discover that to be the wrong direction, isn’t the one who turns around first more progressive?" Well, if you ask me (which no one did), without progress, those two people are still standing at that fork. And what good is that for anyone?