Dear Editor,
Hats off to US President Barack Obama for his deep tribute to the victims of nuclear attack in Hiroshima. Obama has rightly said, “Technological progress without equivalent progress in human institutions can doom us. The scientific revolution that led to the splitting of the atom requires a moral revolution as well”.
In this context, it is worth recalling what Sri Aurobindo commented about machine replacing human element in World War II. He said, “It seems that in this war, the human element is in the background – the whole thing is dominated so much by the machine.”
On being asked if machines can be used to help men grow, he said, “They can help to make life more comfortable, they can add to the convenience of life, but how can they aid men in spiritual or inner progress?” This is enough to remind us that our life should be governed by our inner voice and we must not make ourselves a mere puppet surrounded by mechanical gadgets. It is time to limit the use of machines as far as possible.
Sujit De
Via-e-mail
