Term Paper Part 2

Technology is a very interesting topic of discussion. It has made our lives significantly easier, that is the common belief, most people would tend to agree that technology has helped our world become a better place. Sure its has connected us in a way never before thought possible, technology has made traveling the world and interacting with other cultures possible, but its has also created a culture of its own. This, I would argue is not so good. The emergence of technology has created a culture of dependance that has disallowed us as humans to completely disconnect and enjoy simple things in life without feeling obliged to interact with technology. 

This leaves us with only two viable options. First, we can be like the Sutherlands and try to avoid technology as much as possible. Though the Sutherlands love their motorcycle and love riding it, they do not feel the need to keep up with the maintenance of it. They hate having to deal with it because they do not understand it. They choose to enjoy the benefits of technology without learning how it works. Though superficially this may sound good, it creates for them a situation in which their technology controls them. If their motorcycle breaks down or gets a flat tire, they are completely stranded. They have no way of controlling their technology and thus live in constant fear because they are under its control. The next option is of course to learn to control technology. This option takes much hard work and dedication but in the end, it pays off because it allows us to live free of the fear that our technology, which is made to help us, will ultimately end up hurting us. The narrator chooses this option and he uses his passion for motorcycles to accomplish his goal of controlling technology. The narrator realizes that human society has reached a point where it can no longer function to its maximum potential without technology. He decides to embrace this idea and learn to control technology before it controls him. Starting with the single piece of technology that he is most passionate about, his motorcycle, the narrator learns everything there is to know about maintaining a motorcycle, he wasn't to be the owner of his motorcycle, not a slave to it. The narrator decides that he is the person most qualified to care for his motorcycle because nobody else is as passionate about it as he is. This passion has driven him to become the type of person who embraces the ongoing technological revolution. He sees people like the Sutherlands drowning in their own misery as they are consumed by technology they cannot comprehend and he decides that he will not be a part of the group of people who are left behind. The narrator’s strive towards learning about and ultimately controlling his technology through his passion of motorcycles has allowed him to live in peace and harmony with the rest of society, both human and machine.