These satirical illustrations aptly describe the problems we face today

Modernization has made our lives much easier than it was before. We spend less than half the amount of time we used to on doing certain things and the existence of commodities made available through new technology has ensured we don’t unnecessarily exert ourselves more than we need to. However, all this does come with its set of problems that has us by its hooks.

The satirical illustrations below give us an insight on the prices we’ve had to pay in the name of modernization.

1. Expensive healthcare: It doesn’t matter if a patient is dying or is in need of immediate healthcare, unless and until they cough up the required money for the treatment. In our money-minded nature, we’ve forgotten what holds more value- human life.

2. Virtual ego-boost: In the age of social networking sites taking a prominence place in our lives, Facebook ‘likes’ have started dominating whether we feel good about ourselves or the opposite. We’ve allowed strangers to hold the key to our ego-boost. It doesn’t matter if you climbed the Everest or saved ten lives, unless and until you have the required ‘likes,’ your life has no value.

3. Money over merit: With the rise of the management quota in private institutions, bright students who have toiled hard during examinations, burnt the midnight oil, wrote pages after pages in the exam find it difficult to earn a spot at their preferred universities, where all the seats are filled up by students whose families can make donations in return of a seat for their children. What ulitmately suffers is knowledge.

4. Couch potatoes: Television has reduced us to such couch potatoes that we refuse to get up from our fix spot even for a moment to enjoy the simpler pleasures of life. We’ve become a prisoner of our laziness and remain rooted to just one spot throughout our life and end up unhealthy and leading a shorter life.

5. False hopes of beer: Drinking occasionally is enjoyable, but is letting alcohol take over our lives fair? We’ve become so intoxicated with alcohol that what was once a fit body becomes a pot bellied one after numerous consumption of beer. In the end, our health goes down the drain.

6. The misunderstood meaning of contract: In our money-mindedness, we’ve totally twisted the actual meaning of contract and misuse it with slavery nowadays. Being on a contract doesn’t really transcend to being someone’s slave and acting at their beck and call.

7. Using your own money to destroy your lungs: Addiction is the root cause of all our problems, and chief among them is chain smoking. Smokers literally spend their hard-earned money to buy unending packs of cigarettes which ultimately destroys their own lungs.

8. Manual labour can be bought: Outsourcing workers have become kind of a commodity. We are forgetting that the worker is a living breathing person, and instead think we own them. Have money, will own?

9. Goodbye, environment: Commercialization has led to building springing up everywhere your eyes can see. Trees are being uprooted day in and out to make space for more and more buildings to satisfy the pleasures of mankind. In this, we lose out on our environment and have our hands full causing global warming.

Image credit: 3dfirstaid virtual architecture