I agree with the concept that money can’t buy happiness. It can buy you security and stability, which contributes to happiness, but that’s about the extent. I never thought that money could buy time. A few days ago, I read “101 Year Old David Rockefeller Just Received 7th Heart Transplant This Morning.” Frankenstein would be proud. (Frankenstein is the doctor, not the creature. Common misconception.)

This instance has only been a possibility because of this man’s fortuitous financial position. He can afford the best doctors in the world, preforming the most expensive surgery available. Not once, not twice, but a shocking seven times. Technology has reached a point in which it is beginning to take precedence over nature; this man would have died decades ago if it weren’t for technology.

Which begs the question, how do we tell when this goes too far? Hollywood has always loved the science fiction “humans-turned-robots” plot, but the key part, the fiction part, seems to be less and less the case.

So far, nature has made clear that it isn’t a force to be messed with. George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and countless other progressive authors prophesied futures in which humanity relied so much on technology that they were completely controlled by it. We’re constantly reminded that whenever we meddle with the environment, it bites us in the behind. We try to control an ecological system, and suddenly find ourselves with 4,500 rabbits from another continent completely destroying a particular strain of grass vital to another species. We don't seem to learn our lesson, and this happens over and over again.

We get caught up in the race. Humans love to go far and quickly and we forget to look around at the big picture. My thought is that if its not broke, don’t fix it, right? Humanity has managed in the past without GPS, without iCloud, without hard drives or the fastest version of Google Chrome, so why are we setting ourselves up for disaster by becoming so dependent on it?

We are sacrificing control for the sake of comfort, and I wonder what that might entail. For instance, humans are described to be the most vulnerable species in the animal kingdom. We don’t have claws or sharp teeth, we’re not fast, and we’re certainly not equipped to handle the elements. That being said, we have our brain..but what if our brain, in terms of practical purpose, is funneled into a sim card and an intangible, cyber database? Then what natural devices do we have left to manage in the world?

Humans tend to have tunnel vision. For some inexplicable reason, we crave to advance and progress at such a rate that we forget evolution isn't a race. Not only that, but we don’t know what its finish line might look like. So why this technological rush? Why this desire to create bigger and more severe issues for ourselves in the future? Genetic modification, advanced technology, medical miracles to the point that they defy nature…why do we feel such a need to go down each of these paths? In my opinion, the point of technology is to improve our lives. Instead, what I’ve been observing is that it tends to distract us from life.

I have no intention in this article besides to perhaps make you, as a reader, think about how much you rely on technology on a daily basis. Are you addicted to your GPS? Do you know where North, South, East and West are inherently? Do you know your best friends cell phone number by heart, or your credit card number? Your schedule? What time your doctor’s appointment is next week, or your drivers license? Try memorizing them, try looking around and taking note of landmarks. Try actually reminding yourself to do a task instead of setting an alarm. It’s worth being self sufficient, and we’re nowhere near as close to it as we pretend to be. Even if there isn't a cyber apocalypse, it’ll come in handy when your phone dies, or if its stolen. It’ll remind your brain how to take care of you.