Closer to technologies but far from moral virtues

BY LEULSEGED WORKU

“He who sells sands sand as a brown sugar receives stones as payment” This is one of the famous African proverb that tries to express the need for moral integrity and cohesion among the society.

The issue of morality is the base for every social structure. A nation whose moral virtue is degraded will have a disintegrated social structure. This is visible in the real world where modernization and technological advancements have corrupted the new generation. 

Artist Eshetu Tiruneh, is painter and the owner of Enlighten Art school. For him, individual difference is natural. However, differences should not be sources of conflict. They should be source of unity and integrity. In this regard, working on the “internal person” plays a key role in building the new Ethiopia. This is particularly true on moral virtues of the new generation who is totally imprisoned by technologies and unhealthy information.

Eshetu believes that respecting cultural difference of individuals and nurturing moral values are the core values of every society. However, unluckily, this generation is more of closer to technology than the cultural values inherited from ancestors. For this very reason, we are witnessing both generational gap and cultural gaps among individuals within the same family. 

“This is a generation closer and familiar to online friends or information than individuals within a single roof. Having a cell phone has brought the world into one spot. However, it has created impenetrable wall among most family members.” 

Quoting his early childhood experience Eshetu said, there were times where moral values are more pronounced that individual rights. There were times where individuals truly and practically knew the essence of sympathy, tolerance and culture.  However, this generation is being corrupted by technological innovation. 

According to him, we may not avoid the influence of technology on our moral virtues. But, we can prevent its further influence on the generation. Eshetu further expressed his fear that if individuals keep on losing their moral values, they will be degraded into the level of animals that are not guide by their mind.

Even if he criticizes the influence of technology on social moral values, he did not deny the role it plays in making life easy and bringing the society into one. “However, this is not the fact to our generation. Those nations that properly used technology have bridged their economic and social gaps through it. Those who failed to do that have disintegrated. For this very reason, we need to stop blaming one another and work for the good of others.”

According to Psychologist Zelalem Yitbarek, moral and social values get degraded when society’s interpretation to the reality became narrow.  According to him, the internal entity of any individual affects his/her external integration with his environment. This is similar to the software in computer where that particular technology performs to meet the standard of the software within it.  When we try to apply outdated software our computer would not respond properly. The same is true in our day-to-day activities.  We are found in the 21st century. Attempts to think like that of 19th  or 20th  century would not function properly for this era.

However, when individuals or groups attempt to apply that traditional and old practice in this era, they will be source of conflict to the system. However, the more we use updated software, the more our PC performs well. This is also a good example in our day to day activates. According to Zelalem, individuals who adjust their mentality with the era are solution makers and source of peace.

Our interpretation to the outside world has a direct and indirect impact on our social, economic and political affair. We, human beings are created with much better and sophisticated “software”. For this particular reason, we are expected to adjust our view to what we see, hear or read.

The current situations that are happening in the country have a direct or indirect impact on our politics and all the terror we are observing this day. What is more, this generation is being guided by information instead of knowledge. This could be resulted from our poor experience towards the use of technologies and stereotype perception for almost everything. 

The way we see our identity affects our activity. For instance, how we interpret different languages, cultures or other issues have affected our social integration.  The way we interpret ethnic differences have cost us lots of lives. The way we perceive our religion in relation to others have also cost us life and property. Our perception and interpretation to the external world is corrupted. Our traditional identity has been corrupted through time. 

According to Zelalem, if we keep on being guided blinded by information instead of knowledge and wisdom, the corrupted system will poison the future generation.  The more Ethiopia works on the internal identity (software) of individuals, the more the external world will get change. Investing on the internal entity of individuals is investing on the nation.

Blaming game has become the nature of this day. Everyone is pointing his/her figure on others without blaming oneself. This is the other reason behind the falling moral virtues in our society. For this reason, building the new Ethiopia needs individuals who will take responsibility to their mistakes.

Zelalem further noted that system addiction is causing a serious challenge to this generation. Unable to focus on the reality and fact has become the nature of the day. Individuals have become prisoners of information on their cellphone than the actual facts on the ground. This has deteriorated our moral values and integrity. “We cannot resist technology. What we should do is, balancing our true moral values with that of technology use. The more people are attaching to technologies, the more they will lose the true identity of humanity.

Man is reasonable animal, says Zelalem. However, the more he is attached with unhealthy technology and information he/she will inhibit the ability to reason and it will lead him/her into what is immoral and irrational acts.