Saving Our Planet: Invisible Technology
Ten years ago today, her cold hands shivered as she griped the hard metal bar of her hospital bed. An IV pumped through her skin and up in to a thin vein in her arm. It gave a familiar, painful tingle that she was all too used to. The make-up mixed tears that stained her mothers face only made her tougher and stronger. She thought about her family, her friends and the normal life that she used to lead, and wanted it all back. She squeezed her mother’s hand and tightened her eyes; she prayed that this would all be over soon.
Ten years later – today – she is walking and talking like anyone else you’ve seen. Her blonde hair, long and wavy, drifts behind her in the breezy summer air. Her body that used to be frail and damaged is now strong and healthy. She has a healthy weight and a healthy mind. Everything is normal. She won’t go back to the way she used to be – in fact, she won’t even think about it. This is her life now and always.
As a patient, she was always amazed at how involved and precise the surgeons and doctors had become. She was shocked at her recovery time and how fast she healed. The nurses were smart and careful and were always interested in her wellbeing. But now, she doesn’t think about all the medicine that cured her. She never thought of the years and years of training the doctors had to go through to fully understand the human body and the horrible disease that made her sick for years. She never looked back on the medicine that saved her life; she was never thankful. She thought about the months and months of agony and suffering that her family went through, but never about the medicine that got her to where she is today.
If you have ever had a cast, splint, injection, vaccination or surgery, you have been introduced to the ways in which humanity uses its knowledge of medicine: an invisible technology. Medicine is something that we take for granted. It has come so far over the years, from influenza hospitalizing almost 7000 people in 2009/2010, to hospitalizing only 5000 in 2014/2015 due to the flu vaccination. Cancer, one of the world’s most horrific sicknesses, has many different options for curing that have been explored. Unfortunately, there is no direct cure for cancer, but there are tons of treatment options that scientists and doctors have been looking in to for years. The overall five-year survival rate for bladder cancer in 78 per cent. This means that out of 100 people who may have bladder cancer, 78 of them are still living five years after diagnosis. This is an astounding result that many people fail to recognize.
Many people overlook these numbers. They get jabbed with a needle and continue with their daily lives, and do not even think to thank the scientists that come up with these life saving medicines. We still, for some reason, get upset when doctors have issues curing us, or do not have an idea of what we are sick with or how they can make us better. We become disappointed when doctors cannot fix us. We do not realize that doctors are trying their hardest, and not everything is curable. Doctors have more than enough training in their field, and we sometimes do not recognize that they are trying their best to help us and to make the world a healthier place for everyone. Doctors are willing to sacrifice their own lives and come in contact with thousands of germs daily to save us and try to help the sick. In Georgia, 2 American aid workers were hospitalized for three weeks after becoming infected with the deadly Ebola virus that spread rapidly through several countries in Africa. They have recovered and now pose no health risk, proving to the rest of the world that Ebola can be cured. After this event happened, many people did not appreciate the will and strength of these two doctors, but rather became greedy for the cure to save their own families and loved ones.
Everything from blood pressure pills to seeing glasses can be considered types of medicine. Frequently, people forget or do not even think about what a great addition these are to our lives, and very often we find that people use these things daily and never think about how amazing this constantly improving technology is. Medicinal knowledge has been developed and tailored throughout history in order to help the average human being that is sick or not feeling right. Medicine is an invisible technology because we never think about the thought, time and effort that is put in to creating something so influential and helpful to our society. We take medicine for granted; it is that simple. We usually never take the time to appreciate an incredible doctor who has helped us overcome our sickness. We as humans I find, are becoming more and more selfish and greedy, and we take advantage of our doctors, nurses and hospitals and only have one goal in mind: to get better. While this is a good thing and should be a common goal for ill people, we must also remember those who helped us along the way.
Invisible technologies are not something that we can train humanity to appreciate. We understand that we cannot live without them. Other invisible technologies such as phones, planes, chairs, clocks and even running water have become such a commodity in our lives that we don’t think about them. We use them so regularly that they have become so involved in our lives, and we never think about how amazing they are, or what they provide us with on a daily basis. Invisibly technology is something that cannot be changed or altered, I believe, and even if we do start to appreciate the small things in our lives that have such a huge impact that we don’t recognize, other things will become lost in our society and will become invisible technologies themselves. However, it is important to not loose sight of the things in our lives that provide us with comfort and a healthy, good standard of living. So, next time you visit the nurses office for a yearly checkup, be sure to thank them for the good work that they are doing.
