Voting Online vs. Voting Offline

Petition sites like what was seen at the White House site are much faster and efficient than trying to gather people together on Election Day to vote on something that really may not make much of an impact. One thing that I saw which is stupid to vote on is the secession of states from the Union. The chances of that happening are non existent as the fact is that we worked too hard to unite all 50 states into one country and foolish individuals want to go back to those times. That to me is ludicrous in the most sensible context that you could put it.

Conscious Machines

Machines that have a consciousness are a scary thing to envision given the fact that the article states that within 30 years, we could be at that point. The fact of the matter is, that kind of scares me given how bleak media has portray these things happening. One thing I would like to happen is that it stays sci-fi and not progress to something to where it may be a reality for everyone. It would probably kill society as we knew it if people were walking around almost emotionless, as well as the fact that life would change dramatically because of it.

The Tech Divide

One has to ask him or herself, is technology really bringing the world together or just creating more social misfits? I think given how far we Western societies have advanced in mere decades versus the rest of the world it's shocking but not to be unexpected given we as a race have changed as well. However, not everyone is reaping the same benefits. Parts of the world continue to suffer poverty, disease, hunger, suffering, and few if any options. They are referred to as the Third World by us.

The reason this is the case is because of the fact that the Western nations feel the need to keep the benefits of modern comforts to themselves for fear that if we share it, those nations may get ahead of us and overtake us. It's because of those insecurities that they decided to interact with them on a limited basis. They ask the nations for aid that consists of jobs, infrastructure, and more but yet, we respond to them like a dog owner and they get little in the way of preferential treatment. The sad thing is that for some nations, that aid has dried up and they are forced to do without.

There are individuals out there who have decided that the need both foreign and domestic is so great that whole charities have been set up to do just that. These are the Red Cross, United Way, FEMA and more like them that do what the government cannot do and that is to help those who are less fortunate and deserve it the most. Charity means that it is voluntary and you or members are not required to serve or receive anything from it at all. The irony is that the CEOs that run said charities often make millions of dollars and most of it does not go back to the charity. This is why many are reluctant to use them.

My answer is that to me, if we do not start helping those individuals without having to gain something from it is that, the Western nations will alienate nations that do said things and make them look foolish. Perception really in the grand scheme of things is what most people care about but really it does not matter. At some point, we need to stop caring about it and do what God put us on Earth to do and that is to help our fellow man. Technology will help tremendously, but it is no good if we cannot use it for good instead of evil.