Technological Contentment

Posted in , , By Nick Smith 1 comments

Something occurred to me the other day.  I was thinking about jobs.  More specifically, I was thinking about the fact that technological advances continually cause people to lose their jobs to machines.  It stands to reason, then, that a time will come in the future when no one will need to work because machines will do all of the work for us.  As I started to think about what a society like that would look like, I realized that it will never happen.  Why?  Because we will always want more.
 
Think about all of the technological advances that have occurred in the past 200 years alone.  Light bulbs.  Automobiles.  Radio.  Airplanes.  Computers.  Satellites.  The list goes on and on.
 
Now imagine if people had today’s technology 200 years ago.  They would have been thrilled beyond measure.  They undoubtedly could have used today’s technology to do every job that existed in that time period.  They could have lived the same quality of life – probably much better – and not needed to work at all.
 
So why don’t we do that?  Why don’t we stop doing our current jobs and just build self-sufficient mega-machines that will meet our needs so we won’t have to work?  The answer is quite simple; we will always want more.  Our desire for more defines us as human beings.  Every single one of us wants something that we do not currently have.  On top of that, we’re inventing things that we didn’t even know we wanted.  Two hundred years ago, people lived just fine without television, but now we want high def, blu-ray, and satellite with 200+ channels.
 
John D. Rockefeller, the richest man America has ever known (if you adjust for inflation, he would be worth more that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet combined), was once asked “How much is enough?”  His reply?  “Just a little more.”
 
King Solomon of the Bible was the Rockefeller of his time.  He was rich beyond measure, yet all his wealth could not bring him happiness.  In Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, he wrote,
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.  My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.  Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
 
So where does it stop?  It’s really up to you, but the Bible has a lot to say on the subject.  Basically, as Christians, we are called to want more of only one thing – God.  Everything else is simply an extension of His creation.  When Christ says that we cannot serve both God and money (see Matthew 6:24), he is also saying that we cannot serve both the Creator and the creation.  Instead of amassing earthly wealth and possessions, Christ tells us to store up treasures in Heaven (see Matthew6:19-21).
 
Paul learned this lesson of contentment in God.  You know that verse about being able to do all things through Christ?  That verse is about contentment.
 
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”  -- Philippians 4:11b-13
 
It ultimately comes down to where we place our trust (wealth or God) and where we find our joy (wealth or God).  Each of us should continually examine our priorities to see if our source of trust and joy is the right one.
 
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  -- Matthew 6:21