Poem About Modern Society Issues and the Negative Effects of Technology

Sleepy Little Village by Justin Farley

Sleepy little village,
existing in the past, outside of modern times,
did you have more comfort
than among the abundance of modern life?

Sleepy little village,
where all work was done by the hands,
were you more in tune with life's purpose?
Were you closer to living out the Master's plan?

Sleepy little village,
slave to weather and Mother Nature's time,
did harmony and your dependence keep you rested?
Did you know how to slow the wheels of the mind?

Sleepy little village,
full of few possessions - poor, just getting by,
did you know more joy and happiness
than an age where refusals are met with entitled replies?

Sleepy little village,
where townsfolk talk as neighbors and kin,
were you more enlightened on how to love and comfort?
Were you more educated than us on the meaning of "friend"?

Sleepy little village,
simple - without convenience and modern charm,
look at all our wonderful advances...
Has technology eased our burdens or added more to drag along?

-A Social Commentary Poem Written by Justin Farley

Behind this Social Commentary Poem About Living A Simple Life

There’s no doubt that as society advances, and we develop new technology that certain aspects of life are improved. Or at least more opportunities are available.

But along with those opportunities for improvement come opportunities for destruction. Not just destruction to the physical aspects of life like the environment and our bodies but also our minds and souls. I think all of us spend too much time scrolling on our phones, binging mindless content, and losing our presence in the tangible world around us.

The Negative Effects of Social Media, Smartphones, and Technology

We miss so much of life because we’re buried in our phones—checking email, refreshing news-on-demand (always the most negative and emotionally stimulating events), absorbing the negativity on social media, or even just spending too much time doing good or neutral tasks. There’s only so much time in life. With every hour we spend locked into technological “advancements”, we lose an hour in nature resting, getting cozy reading a book, spending quality time with the people we love, appreciating the beauty of the world around us.

I love having a computer in my pocket. There’s an infinite number of productivity apps I can download to make my life easier. And they do. Sometimes…but I find that the distractions often outnumber the benefits. Each time I open my phone to jot down a note or reminder, I find myself getting sucked into doing 10 or more minutes of useless scrolling on social media or the internet without planning to.

Does Modern Technology Really Make Life Better and More Efficient?

In a bubble, so much of technology could make life better. In real life though—with real people with emotions and limited willpower—so much of technology is a deceptive gateway to getting less with more. Does using my phone as a notebook make taking notes and remembering things easier and faster than paper and pencil? Absolutely. But I rarely stop at the quick note. I get hypnotized by the blue light of the screen and before I even know it I’m opening up apps that have no connection to my original intent of jotting down an idea.

It may take a minute to write a note to yourself in a notebook by the time you pull it out, flip to a blank page, and get your pen uncapped. The same task may take only 15 seconds on your phone. If I stopped right away I would have access to a great tool. But I don’t. I spend 15 seconds + 20 minutes doomscrolling. That’s a terrible trade-off. I tell myself I need to be more disciplined. Stopping to get coffee at a donut shop every day is a terrible way to try to quit eating sweets, though. The paradox of technology is that what promises to make life easier really just makes life harder in so many ways. A simple life often still produces the most fulfillment.

Living A More Simple Life

Sometimes, I have to wonder: is life really that much better than when it was more simple? Too many choices can cause lots of anxiety and stagnation. I don’t think it’s simply revisionist history to claim that growing up during the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s was much better. For millennials who grew up during the strange, transitionary period between off-line and on-line life, I believe we have a clear comparison of how much technology has actually complicated and made life worse in many ways.

If we’re honest, most of us are exhausted, grasping for fleeting time that we can’t find because so much of it is being sucked up by the distractive devices we keep around us at all times. Most of us spend 5+ hours on our phones every day. Some of that time may be productive but a lot of it isn’t. Worse, it’s time we’re wasting doing things we don’t even want to do. We’re doing it because of the addictive nature of our phones.

Even if we’re losing a few hours a day being on our phones a day (which is a conservative number), that’s a lot of time we’re unable invest in our mental health, relationships, spiritual life, and to rest our minds. We’re all working too much to buy crap we don’t need and don’t have time for. We’re all losing time with our kids and loved ones to spend time with a blue light and a filter over life.

I’m not suggesting we go back to the Stone Age. What I am suggesting, though, is that become more aware and more purposeful of how we’re using technology. And if that technology is making life more complicated, more difficult, we must have the courage to ditch it and go back to living simply where the greatest joys are often found.

“Look at all our wonderful advances…
Has technology eased our burdens or added more to drag along?”

You may also like another poem of mine about modern society issues, “The Deathbed Confessions of an Old Woman”.

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