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+<p>In light of the COVID-19 crisis and the rising trend of digital
+technological solutions to our social confinement efforts, I thought I
+would take the opportunity to go over the issue of what I call
+technological slave mentality. More than once my peers have referred to
+me as the <i>anti-computer computer engineer</i>, because whenever I
+have the choice I always opt for the most primitive solution; I have a
+brick phone, I detest <i>smart devices</i>, I prefer to write using pen
+&amp; paper, I prefer to read paper books, I try to avoid <i>cloud</i>
+services, etc. But this is not so much out of a hatred for computers or
+digital technologies - otherwise why would I be writing this article
+from a computer to a website, or why would I study computer engineering?
+- but rather that I do not want to be a slave to my computer, and
+instead want my computer to be subservient to me.</p>
+
+<p>The technological slave mentality is such that rather than rightfully
+demanding that technology adapt to our needs, we take the docile option
+of adapting to the technology that we ourselves created. In other words,
+we submit to our creation rather than forcing our creation to submit to
+us. As such, rather than getting done what we want or need to get done,
+we can only get done that which our creation allows us to.</p>
+
+<p>This mentality is also a barbaric one in nature, as it contradicts
+with the mentality of self-sacrifice of civilization. A civilized man
+sacrifices short-term convenience and pleasure for long-term prosperity,
+looking not for immediate gain but towards the future. As such, the
+civilized man develops technologies, not as a short-term solution to his
+problems, but as a long-term foundation for future generations to build
+upon. The barbarian, however, lives like the animals, driven primarily
+by his instincts and temptations with no ability to sacrifice for a
+greater prosperity in the long-term. As such, the technology he develops
+is solely for short-term convenience, and future generations are left
+with no technological foundation upon which to continue building upon.
+When the barbarian is introduced to a new technology he uses it blindly,
+regardless of whether it is even applicable in his social context, or
+compatible with his culture and heritage. The former leads to
+prosperity, the latter to social disintegration and technological
+enslavement.</p>
+
+<p>We see examples of this barbaric mentality all too often in our
+modernist society, it's reflected everywhere under the guise of
+progress, or even pretending that it is liberating, when all it really
+does is enslave us to our temptations and short-term desires. Over and
+over again institutions are pressured to "modernize", to "get with the
+programme", "enter the 21st century", "become a part of the
+technological revolution", etc. This is especially the case in
+education, where despite the tried &amp; true methods of teaching that
+have worked for hundreds of years, we now find it necessary to
+<i>update</i> these to adapt to our modern technologies. But nobody asks
+whether or not we truly need such a change in our institutions in the
+first place.</p>
+
+<p>This mentality is not only visible on a societal level, but also a
+personal level. When it comes to the use of digital technologies, people
+are quick to compromise with their devices, rather than demanding that
+the technology submit to them. Heck, this is something that the Free
+Software Movement has been protesting for years! When someone's
+operating system forces them to reboot the system because it says so,
+the correct is response is to ditch that operating system and publicly
+condemn the organization that implemented such a terrible characteristic
+into their program. But instead people become docile and accept that
+they are not in control of their very own property. And when said
+organization decides to force you to buy their newest products, the
+people who are being used by these technologies will follow like
+lemmings.</p>
+
+<p>Relating this all back to our current situation with the COVID-19
+crisis, it is evident that the use of digital technologies has become
+absolutely necessary as an extraordinary measure in order to keep
+certain institutions. However, what is problematic is that what should
+only be extraordinary measures, some are considering the possibility of
+making them permanent solutions. Somehow we are finding it prudent to
+replace our stable traditional technological foundation for society with
+a modern digital one that is unstable, experimental, defective, and
+overly complex. Not only this, but when the confinement is finally over,
+the prolonged use of these measures will only further deteriorate the
+social structure of our society, which has been suffering already from
+the promulgation of anti-social behaviour.</p>
+
+<p>As such, we must make it abundantly clear that the use of these
+extraordinary measures should remain extraordinary, and the moment we
+return to ordinary circumstances, ordinary measures should be
+restored.</p>
+