Technology, Spirituality & the Battle for Our Humanity

Human beings are inherently spiritual beings. This means we are driven by our spirituality to act. Our spirit governs our actions - we are driven to do, irrespective of circumstance. This idea traces back to Socratic philosophy: our spirit is contained by appetite and requires governance, which we call the soul.

In metaphorical terms, the soul represents our subconscious - the deeper part of us that drives our actions even when we are unaware. Our conscious mind is what we know, but it is the subconscious, shaped over time, that moves our spirit.

Today, there exists a conflicting relationship between our spirit—divinely rooted—and technology, a human creation. Technology and God now act as parallel entities: God represents our soul, while technology extends our physical, mental, and now spiritual selves. Through digital engineering, technology can mimic our spiritual drive—but it does so without alignment to the timeless values that have sustained humanity.

This is the greatest threat of our time.

Technological advancement is reshaping personal, societal, and global interactions. Once feared as a threat, technology has become user-friendly, addictive, and now a driver of human behavior - especially among younger generations shaped by algorithmic influence.

Without strong foundational values, we risk becoming intellectually narrow. Though we have access to more information than ever, algorithms only feed us what we already want to hear - creating an illusion of truth even amidst lies. This phenomenon, often labeled as “wokeness,” may reflect only a small portion of society, but technology amplifies it to appear dominant.

Yet, there is nothing new under the sun. What we see has always existed - only the tools have changed. The complexities introduced by technology do not erase the eternal need for values rooted in collective good.

As much as the world evolves, the fundamentals of human existence remain. Without moral grounding, we are no greater than animals if not beasts of nature. When technology drives humanity, we become victims of our environment rather than masters of it.

This is especially critical for Africa, where the understanding and use of emerging technologies is still maturing. We must be intentional in nurturing the spiritual self, ensuring that technological governance is anchored in values - not just systems.