<p>Prompt: Knowledge is power. In Agriculture, medicine, and industry, for example, Knowledge has liberated us from hunger, disease, and tedious labor. Today, however, our knowledge has become so powerful that it is beyond our control. We know how to do many things, but we do not know where, when or even wether this know-how should be used.
Essay: The claim that a human belonging to the stone age would be stunned and dazed by the advancement and development of the modern world is indeed incontrovertible. Man of that age could never have envisaged all that has been achieved today, by humans, purely on the basis of their knowledge and ambition of raising their living standards. It is however, this very knowledge that can sometimes prove to be a burden than a benefit. Several examples from todays time will substantiate my statement.
In the modern times, diverse ways of power generation have been unleashed such as generation through fossil fuels, water, wind, sun, biogas etc. However, fossil fuels have since ever, been at the top of this list. Burning of fossil fuels liberates their trapped energy which is used for production of power. But, combusting fossils also releases green house gases such as carbon dioxide, methane etc. These gases are contributing immensely to the green house effect that can be briefly described as the warming up of the Earth. These gases form a blanket around the Earths atmosphere which traps the Suns infra red radiation. This green house effect is also responsible for polar meltdowns and excessive flooding. It wont be wrong to say that the process of power generation through fossils is proving to be counterproductive.
Man has also successfully invented ways of increasing the potential of arable land and saving the crops from harmful pests by adding fertilizers and pesticides to the soil. But when these very fertilizers are leashed or washed away into the water bodies, the water is polluted and rendered unfit for drinking. With the rapidly increasing water shortage such water pollution is surely unbearable.
Knowledge is indeed mans best friend nowadays, for not only does it benefit him but also save him from a lot of work. All u have to do to clean up your house, wash your clothes or cook your food is to seek the services of the vacuum cleaner, washing machine and microwave which require you to do nothing more than turning on a button. But these very machines have made us lazy and susceptible to problems of obesity and even depression. Mopping the floor, cleaning the dishes by hand etc have all become bygone trends but these very tasks were a good form of exercise which helped in burning calories and keeping fit. We are buying luxury at the expense of our health.
Hence, it wont be erroneous to say that knowledge can sometimes act as a burden rather than a benefit. After all everything has its pros and cons, wisdom lies in identifying the disadvantages and avoiding them.</p>
<p>waiting for some opinions on this essay :(</p>