Is there an obsession with or dependency on technology, religion, and/or medicine in the world?
918363
Interesting question...\n\nIn western society, we certainly live in an artificial world supported by technology. Technology allows instant gratification, more convenience, and a faster pace of life. Some homes have so many appliances, that if the electricity goes off, people can't do anything... wash, cook, heat/cool the rooms. That is rather dependent, I'd say!  And there is an obsession with technology trying to control nature through genetically modifying plants and animals.  Bigger, newer, and more profitable are seen as better.\n\nI see medicine as a branch of technology. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish... save a life, create comfort, or do a facelift for a celebrity, or whatever.\n\nReligion fills a basic human need to believe (or not, if you wish). I think religions which are based on a respect for nature (such as those of many indigenous peoples)  are not obsessions in the sense that you are using. It's hard to generalize about religion when there are so many different types in the world.
342758
They believe that the rest of the world is too caught up in worldly things, i.e., has strayed away from God.  So, they choose to isolate themselves with the same way of live their ancestors had when they first emigrated from Europe.  \n\nMost of the rest of the world doesn't appreciate this assertation or understand this point, and just thinks it's idiotic to limit oneself to seventeenth-century technology (although there are many loopholes to these rules: they often ride in cars, but don't drive, etc.)
546640
No,I don't think it's an addiction. I think it's an obsession, kinda like you feel like you have 2 by it.
905089
Well, indubidably, technology does have a cornucopia of negative periphials. When virtual activities clash with the puerile anatomy such perturbs can be obesity.
774073
You are right. Narrow minded and selfish people always resist new technology. There was massive resistance to computers in the beginning as computers were perieved to replace jobs of people.
202878
They aren't. Disregarding the disparaging comments I might make about fundamentalists and new-agers, every person uses 100% of their brains... just not all at the same time. If you don't believe me, just look at an image of the results of an MRI (see, for example, the link in my "sources" section)
768758
Lots of big issues right now.\n\nI wouldn't call it religion, at least for me.  More of a serious hobby.
521599
If everyone was in contact with their spiritual self, we would not need to be dependant on religious icons.  If everyone focused on working together as a community and taking care of the planet, we would have plenty to do and caring for each of our needs and wants.  All spiritual lifeforce beings strive to be closer to the Creator, that is why we live many different lives.
264164
it actually sounds like OCD, my family is full of it, my obsessions are about demonic posession and when I was having a lot of trouble with it I would be incapacitated to the point where I would whisper "jesus, jesus, jesus" for hours-- my brother constantly thinks about nuclear war and dying in a nuclear holocaust and my mother is that way with cholesterol (needless to say going home is lots of fun! There are 10 children in my family, 4 with OCD, 3 Bipolar and 1 autistic, 2 normal) It's not the wierd sort of "Monk" OCD, and not everyone washes obsesivly or anything but sometimes it's just that sort of constant automatic thought
1027191
I totally agree - I think our humanity makes it essential.  Life is difficult - I don't know anyone who hasn't felt like giving up at some time or another.  However, if we have a vice we feel like we can depend on, something we feel like we can fall back on, we are stronger for it, even if it sometimes weakens us.  Everyone has an addiction, be it drugs, friends, God, shopping, music - we all depend on something.
207947
There are religions all over the world. People need to believe in something & they need to be controlled.\nIt is the same with all religions.
1035310
Why is there high technology in the first place? \n---> Because of human dissatisfaction. You can hardly find a human who is satisfied living in the same style he is now and 20 years later. There are bound to be discontenment in some areas. This is why our world keep on changing and improving. \n\nIf there's constant dissatisfaction, do u think there will be world peace? We are not living in a fairy tale world. Even if there's peace, it will not be for eternally. Because eternal peace will ultimately results in resentment and dissatisfaction among human.
404888
:}\nAn austere lifestyle would help us sty focused on the important things in life.\nI know that i for one often allow the unguent to precede the important things in my life\nsomeone said technology came into our lives as a servant but now lives there as i Master.\n\nHaving said all that, I would really miss mot being able to use electronic text to study issues in my faith, and would really miss being able to discuss issues of faith in forums like this one.\n\nNot I am sight impaired and the accessibility options on my computer make an active study of my faith possible.
105577
No, but the lack of a similar increase in psychological growth in mankind has caused our technological development to outstrip our maturity as a species.  The sudden increase in information and the resulting challenges to everyone's world views due to access to the web and instant information should be sufficient to give us a chance to catch up a bit.  Then the technology will be much easier to handle and use wisely.
210838
i disagree ... technology may let a man feel that he's on top of the world! but he can't control everything-- technology can't control human relationships and most of all it can't control love.
994335
I agree.  You have only to look around to see that there is some kind of energy flowing through us - some kind of "magical" spark that makes this existence run. \n\nI think "commercial brands" is a very apt description.  I often say that I think each of the world's religions is largely the same story (the same essence or base) told in different "languages", as it were, and for different cultures - using local health concerns, local characters, etc. to make the story understandable to do the planet's diverse population.\n\nEach religion is lovely in it's own way - it's a shame so many of us can't just be happy in our own knowledge and be happy in our similarlities and let people live their lives as they see fit.
248543
An addiction is a disease.  Obsession is a preferance, a want but not something your mind and body believes it can't live without and actually physically pains you not to have.