We are the Plague, We are the Cure :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

We are the Plague, We are the Cure Why is it that the fate of our nation seems to be in a downward spiral of despair? It seems as if everywhere you turn, you are greeted with grim visages of violence and misery. What is this plague which afflicts our society and has taken away the innocence and happiness of past generations? Our society is condemned to its current state due to its individualistic desires. If man is the downfall of himself, then is he also the plague of his society? You might believe that only recently with the advent of the Internet are we pushing ourselves too far, but this is far from the truth. This problem has hung as a spectre over society since its origin. In Genesis 3, we are first introduced to this plague on society. As Adam and Eve wandered the Garden of Eden, they were tricked by the serpent into eating from the Tree of Knowledge. After condemning all three for their disobedience God commented that, "the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:22) This plague continues to today. If you think about it, we are all becoming increasingly dependent on technology. In a recent work by Bill Joy, this thought really hit home. To think that soon, "People won't be able to just turn the machines off, because they will be so dependent on them that turning them off would amount to suicide." This is what our dependence will cause, and this dependence is cause by our desire to push ourselves harder than is necessary. (Joy 2) As you can see this problem began when society did, and will not end until society does also. Technology and history are not the only fields in which society's plague are present, however. Recently, it seems as if every time you open the newspaper you are greeted with a declaration of 'breaking' news on the Presidential election. For hundreds of years, this process seemed so simple. Of course, there were times when society's little evil would spring up and try to do damage.