Kurt Vonnegut quote

“Do you know what a Luddite is? That’s a person who doesn’t like newfangled contraptions. Contraptions like nuclear submarines armed with Poseidon missiles that have H-bombs in their warheads, and like computers that cheat you out of becoming. Bill Gates says, “Wait till you can see what your computer can become.” But it’s you who should be doing the becoming. What you can become is the miracle you were born to work—not the damn fool computer.”

- Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut makes a very good point when he says, “But it’s you that should be doing the becoming.” I realized that we, as the people, need help from machines. Maybe even more than ever before. Kurt Vonnegut is right, but at the same time he’s also wrong. Machines are making us lazy. For example; we are all using computers to write up essays and stories, whereas before, we used to write them out by hand. This has made us a bit lazy. Some people don’t even walk. They use machine to do it for them. Machines have not only made us lazy, but it has destroyed lives of thousands. Weapons are the main problem. I’d bet that if all weapons where to disappear, thousands of lives would be saved.
Unfortunately, Kurt Vonnegut is also wrong. The computer has helped us stay in touch with friends, learn (language programs), post information, and much more. We have used technology to discover new vaccines and medications. We have used it to educate people, to help disabled people, to save lives. We have a great need of technology. We just need to set the limits.
Kurt Vonnegut is wrong. It doesn’t mean that I disagree with him though. Technology is needed to save many lives. For example; if there wasn’t technology, my grandmother would have died of breast cancer. I would have wondered why no one could have done anything about it. Technology is a great help, yet it’s a burden too.