Dr. Jasim Uddin Ahmed :
From the dawn of creation, human beings for their improved life and living began to develop various means, techniques, tools, machineries. Side by side, they continued development of knowledge through general education, science, technology, medicine etc. Gradually, from personal life began social life, community life, national life, thus rolling over to international arena. Research and development in all sectors continued to develop improved standard of life. While such developments brought benefits, comfort, ease of life, such developments also entailed abuse of skills and technology by some people to cause micro to macro scale detriments, affecting life and property.
God has endowed man with many praiseworthy qualities. On the other hand God has left avenues in human mind to cause enormous ills to individuals, communities, countries and nations. Specially, influence of senses (sex lust, wrath, greed, jealousy, malice, delusion) lead to cause harms, murder, torture, rape, gang rape, etc. to others. One person, one community or one nation can cause irreversible damage to one person, nation or even, to the world.
From age to age many civilizations rose to peak of development; they rose to peak in education, industry, culture, art, sculpture, arms, etc. But for some mistake they went to extinction. Their memory remains but they themselves vanished forever.
During the first half of the twentieth century there were two world wars: the first one from 1914 to 1918 and the second one from 1939 to 1945. During these two world wars enormous loss and damage to life and unthinkable damage to property occurred.
At present super power countries which have developed nuclear arsenals, for a wrong decision taken by any one of them can lead to catastrophic disaster to humanity beyond imagination.
It seems that man gets information from history, but does not learn anything from it. From 1950 the world acquired enormous knowledge in science, medicine, astronomy, atomic energy, information technology (IT,) space science etc. It is extremely gratifying that Almighty God has accorded so much talent and mental faculty to human being. But human mind is the factory of both good and bad options, and a playground of auspicious or sinister deeds.
By abusing developments in science and technology wrong doers can cause irreparable damage or destruction to life and property. By cyber hacking one person or one country can cause irreversible damages to another country or even cripple a nation. Military arms, especially nuclear bombs delivered through ballistic missiles or bombing one country can destroy another country, as well as cause short and long harm to human society beyond repair.
Especially, radioactive fallout resulting from nuclear bombing can cause long term damage to human beings as well as to all forms of life. Basically, in a nuclear warfare no country will become a singular winner. In fact, countries engaged in nuclear warfare will all lose heavily under cover of apparent gain.
If one looks at the trend among the developing countries, one would find that over the past 60 years, the developed countries have been promoting export of their commercial products to developing countries. Such trend continues to be going increasing over time. Developed countries essentially have been exporting their standard of life to the developing countries. On the other hand, from economic view, the people in the developing countries do not have the economic base to absorb that standard.
As a result, people are indulging in corruption, cheating, etc. The opportunists enjoy life style which they have not developed. As a result, over the last 60 years corruption has been breeding in the developing countries beyond control.
The rich has been becoming increasingly richer, while the poor is becoming deprived and increasingly poorer. Small number people in the society who are opportunists, are building their luxurious life over the bones of the deprived majority of the general mass. As a result, lack of peace and unrest has been growing in an accelerated pace which is becoming a matter of serious concern in the world.
Information technology (IT) is a wonderful development of science and technology, and mobile phone is an excellent device. People of all ages from child to grown-ups use mobile phone and laptops. They remain so absorbed in these by using face book that in the same family home they hardly talk to each other or have consultation.
They have no time even to argue with each other. It is often seen that the mother feeds her child who is deeply absorbed in the use of mobile and does not know what is being eaten. In class rooms they prefer to take seat in back benches to view face book. Due to use of face book the young generation is rather going into individual isolation. In this way mental faculty does not grow among the young generation.
They enjoy pictures which are obscene and objectionable. These sorts of objectionable materials are released by unscrupulous business groups which lead particularly young generation to distorted paths. This scenario is noted in all countries of the world. As a result eve teasing, rape and gang rape, crimes and all kinds of wrong doings are spreading in an increasing pace. Even in super power countries unrest, fear, hate, jealousy, can be noticed increasing.
Another matter that has become of concern is the use of toxic chemicals in foodstuff for increasing their shelf life. The business people for unscrupulous profit limitlessly use toxic chemicals in foodstuff such as grains, fruits, vegetables, as well as in prepared food. Adulteration in prepared food, sold in restaurants, fast food bars seem to be a practice of the day.
Especially, young generation, particularly students and working class people, eat fast food and commercial drinks in public. Such adulterated foods cause damage to mainly internal organs like liver, kidney, heart, pancreas and other parts of the body. By this immoral act of unscrupulous businessmen human race is going towards ultimate destruction.
Again, there is another matter which can be a cause of future harm to human race. That is the environmental pollution. Over the past 60 years rapid industrialization, trend to modernize living standard, tendency towards luxury by rich class of people, petroleum fuelled transport vehicles including aviation etc. have been polluting the earth’s surface, water body, and atmosphere rather unthinkably.
Due to increase of temperature of the earth’s atmosphere polar ice caps are melting. For this reason the water level of the oceans has been rising, as a result of which low-level countries may go under water. Massive industrialization all over the world has been releasing atmospheric, aquatic and solid wastes into the environment unthinkably.
Due to all kinds of pollution human ailments have been on the rise. This situation will also affect all other living beings on earth, the extent of which cannot be estimated. Unless there is any control enforced there can be unthinkable damage to living beings, may be leading to extinction.
All these factors seem to show that the present civilization in an attempt to solve all human problems has been creating more problems than solutions due to abuse of developments in science and technology.
The present civilization is running fast for development, but it seems this running will bring disaster, not peace and happiness. In a lecture at a Rotary Club in Dhaka fifteen years ago I said. “The present civilization has been trying to solve all human problems through development in science and technology, but their abuse has been creating more problems to humanity than solutions. This civilization is running fast to meet a sad end.” I fear that this civilization because of abuse of developments may face disaster in the long run.
(Dr. Jasim Uddin Ahmed is Language veteran (Ekushe Padak-2016), Nuclear Scientist, Poet, Religious Scholar Social Worker, Retired Director, UN International Atomic Energy Agency).
