A Blessing Or A Curse
With the big drops of sweat pelting down my face, I felt as if the scorching heat of the Sun was conspiring to char me to death. But a zillion thanks to the inventions of science that cool me down when I am on the verge of melting! Looking around me, I can’t help but nod my head in consent to the fact that Science is a blessing in our lives.
Man is a curious being, and his inquisitive nature has unfolded before us innumerable scientific boons. Right from the break of dawn to night, our lives revolve around science. The world has now become a global village. Faster and reliable means of transport and advanced technologies have led to better and stronger connectivity. People across the world are just a ‘button’ away! Man has set foot on the moon and has ventured deeper into the outer space. Hundreds and thousands of satellites orbit our earth. Once what was thought to be a mystical element can now be predicted quite easily by the meteorological departments—storms, rains, droughts, etc. can all be predicted.
Information technology and computers have revolutionised our lifestyle. A wave of digitalisation has swept almost every sphere of our lives. Whether it is the bank or the railway station, everything is done through Internet. Cash transactions, ticket booking and reservations have, thus, become easy, efficient and faster.
Breakthrough researches in the field of medicine have led to the eradication of many deadly diseases—longevity of human life has increased. Earlier, uncountable number of people used to die of incurable ailments, but now, medical science has found a cure to most of the diseases. Diseases like tuberculosis and cancer, that were considered fatal a few decades back, are no longer incurable. X-rays and ECGs etc. have led to an improved diagnosis of diseases, thereby, increasing the chances of a patient’s survival.
Advancements in the field of agriculture have amounted to better crop yields, thereby increasing food yield. Science has brought the entire world in our drawing rooms. Electricity, without which the world would have come to a standstill, is an indispensable finding of science. Electricity runs all gadgets, whether it is our computers or televisions or washing machines or fans or the lights. In a nutshell, science has basically made our lives a cocoon of leisure and comfort where literally everything can be done at one press of a button.
However, a glance at the day’s newspaper is enough to shake the very foundation of my pre-conceived notion. Chemical and biological warfare, innocent lives being slaughtered at the sacred altar of science, nuclear weapons—all seem to be casting a dark veil of bane on the earth. And so, here I am, struck in a seemingly irresolvable dilemma : “Is Science a blessing or a curse?”
The blessings of science are being blatantly misused, thereby, gradually plunging the world into a dungeon of perils. Fertilisers and pesticides that were meant to increase agricultural yields are now accelerating environmental pollution due to their limitless use. Global warming and ozone layer depletion are the two most discussed threats of this century. Internet is also being misused through unhealthy practices such as spread of pornographic materials, hacking, etc.
Science is synonymous with change and “Change, like sunshine, can be a friend or a foe, a blessing or a curse, a dawn or dusk.” Being sane and rational creatures, it is up to us to choose what we want it to be.
In conclusion, I would like to quote Paulo Coelho who had so aptly said: “Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.”