“Our society is overly materialistic. We center our lives on acquiring material things at the expense of such traditional values as family and education.”
Without trying to sound fanatic, I would agree with the statement that our society is overly materialistic. We all follow the trends of the society falling into the heap of greed and selfishness, avoiding our families and friends. Also we are so much fringed by the technology that acquiring education becomes difficult. Some of the major reasons of why I beleive so, are mentioned below.
No wonder technology has played a great role in making our society mundane. Apart from all the benefits it has brought, we are too much surrounded by the technology that we are unable to hear the voices of our own mates. This cause us to act like the machines. According to a study that call this process, macdonaldization, people want the same taste, same costs and same attitude. They have stop admiring the versatility, which is a powerful characteristic of human being. As we tend to act more like robots, we move further away from our families and friends. We make ourselves busy in acquiring more to fascilitate ourselves and thus ending up in loneliness.
Apart from fellowship, the other dangerous effect is on our education system. Our youth is so much inspired by the technology that it has stopped gaining knowledge. Computers, iPods, walky-talky, the Internet and the mobile phones are all secondary sources of information. The basic and true source of information is book. Avoiding book reading and finding all other substitutes for it, is the major loss of this generation. If our youth only understands that nothing can replace this source of immence and authentic information, there can be a chance of coming out of this dilemma.
One can write a hundred pages, defending the point that the Internet can provide far more and latest information. E-books can truly take the place of all libraries and etc., yet the truth is that the Internet can only help in diverting your focus of thoughts. Until you develop your base from books, all other sources cannot help, infect they can be hazardous. Because the information you get from these sources are superficial. Anyone who has a habit of reading books can easily tell the difference in reading a book in hand and an e-book. Book reading is not only a traditional way of gaining knowledge, it is a manner of attaining information, which involves your eyes, mind and body all at once without ruining any of these.
Keeping a balance in the traditions and the technology is the best way of progress. Leaving any of one these, can result in our suffering. Hence, although we should make the best use of the technology, nevertheless, we should not derange the balance and the sequence of our priorities in life.
TOEFL listening discussions: How does Dr Beech characterize the assistantship?
you have helped me so much and in a time when I was really, badly, in need of a teacher. So God bless you, and I am so happy that I am able to improve. It is very important for me, as I have a long way to go.