On the Ancestral Path-Time & Technology
Modern technology has become not only a fascination among humanity, but for the most part, on perception alone, it has become an addiction. As time goes, humanity is becoming more dependent upon technological development and less dependent on human development. This creates a sequence of events that is leading humanity into a future that will require less thinking, assessing and reasoning because the technology is there to relieve us of those mental functions… those basic, human mental functions.
In all fairness, modern technology has its usefulness, specifically in the field of communications. It’s an impressive feat to be able to contact someone who lives on the other side of the planet just by punching some numbers on a keypad. It’s equally as impressive to find the location and directions to any place just by typing the address of said place. But the true value in these two technological advances revolves around convenience and “saving” time. The concept of the latter, “saving” time, can easily segue towards that slippery path which leads to mental, spiritual and physical degeneration. Amazingly, we still somehow see a small victory in our perpetual battle against time when technology can be used to manipulate our perception of “saving” it.
Ethan what we may perceive of it. Materially speaking, we are only capable of affecting only a minute portion of time. This exposes a huge contradiction within humans because we have been conditioned to experience our material life, which happens within a small fork of time, as if it will last forever. If this is our approach, then why are we inclined to attempt to “save” time under selective circumstances? I think maybe an even more relevant question would be; what does it mean when we speak of “saving” time? In the West, we observe “daylight savings time.” What does this mean and what is the logic behind this concept? Even if a very thorough scientific explanation can be given to this question, the logic will still fail to fit or express the concept itself.
Master Naba once said, “To be lost is to know the way”. Meaning, if you are trying to reach a destination and you find yourself lost, although it may take you much longer to orient the right path, you will know which roads not to take as you navigate your way towards your final destination. It then becomes a process of elimination of paths taken, which requires one to think, assess and memorize the paths and events that one experienced along the way. Without these processes of the brain taking place, one has a very minimal chance of making the best decision regarding which direction to take. Even our current perceptions and perspectives of the world and ourselves, are constantly being shaped and reshaped by our ability to memorize detailed aspects of what we have been exposed to before. What we observe as intelligence or smartness is really just an innate ability to easily recall sounds, sights, tastes, feelings and smells that one’s past has exposed him to.
Technology has succeeded in keeping many of us distracted from the ways of our ancestors. The irony lies in the fact that our ancestors were much more advanced in their knowledge and use of technology. The proof is evident within the enigma of how the pyramids in the Nile Valley were built. Well, it is safe to say that it was possible through the use of ancient technology. Even today, with all of the so-called technological advancements, modern science has failed to agree on a common formula and the physical process of transporting tons of heavy stones from great distances and building pyramids in the sand of the desert. Unfortunately, the power of utilizing the ancient technology that was used by our ancestors has been lying dormant within us, the descendants of those great ancestors, and has gone ignored and dishonored by the modern world. But it still exists.
The invention of the internet is probably the greatest advancement within the field of technology in modern times. The amount of information that is shared through this vehicle on a daily basis is staggering. So much so, that for many, it would be very difficult to imagine life without this type of access. This is a serious problem that is worth much consideration, because all implications lead to a crippled society if or when this form of technology fails to exist.
Humanity would then be forced to deal directly with each other and work together in order to survive, which creates another dilemma because we are not taught by this system what it takes to work together or survive.
At every moment, even right now, millions of people are spending hours reading or researching useless information on the internet. This pertains to information that cannot offer one anything that will help him to advance morally or spiritually. These aspects of our evolution will always evade us if we are not looking in the appropriate places for guidance. In actuality, it would be insulting to think modern technology can provide the tools a human being needs to develop spiritual qualities. This is why we have Masters or Sages. The guidance that is given by such individuals stretches far beyond the realm of what the architects of modern technology can ever imagine offering to humanity.
It has been prophesized by many indigenous systems that a day will soon come when electricity as we know it will no longer work. One can imagine the chaos that would ensue as the result of such an event. Humanity will be forced to become better acquainted with nature, which is something that many of us will reject by all means, even if it costs us our lives.
Just as modern technology lacks the ability to discern among human needs and issues, as a result of being pacified by modern technology, humanity is simultaneously losing its own ability to discern among the needs and issues of its own species.
The modern world has evaded the living ancestral knowledge of indigenous people for a very long time. If this planet and its inhabitants are to survive the destructive forces we all have contributed to, it will only be through the traditions and education of our ancestors. Sitting at the feet of a Master can never be replaced by an online course in Spirituality 101. It would be very difficult for one to make time to learn the traditional approaches to spirituality while trying to save it…at the same time! I can only guess that it is much safer for us to maintain a neutral (dishonest) moral position in life rather than standing firmly behind one or another value system as our ancestors represented, because to do so would require the type of educational process that has been promoted and perceived to be a thing of the past; a thing of folklore and superstition; a thing of evil.
Modern technology has become the new “drug” that the architects of these systems shooting through the veins of the society. Every new technological advance tells a story and has an agenda for the future of humanity. It is only when we are able to readily identify or recognize the convenience factor of technology, and keep it in its proper perspective, that we can we avoid becoming a victim of the most powerful brainwashing instrument the human mind has faced since the Bible and the Koran.
Master Naba never got tired of speaking or writing the phrase, “The arrow that will pierce your heart is the one you won’t see coming”. Hetep