Do you ever wish you could be 25 forever? The movie In Time depicts a future where you can do exactly that, with a catch. Forty years in the future, humans have been genetically altered to stop aging at 25. That’s when their body clock starts counting down, and they will die within one year unless they earn, borrow, or steal more time. And guess what? While the poor must work very hard to earn a few months, days or even hours, the uber rich can accumulate centuries, living virtually forever, and never aging.
In Time paints a society rigidly divided between the luxurious, comfortable world of the “haves” and the bleak poverty of the “have nots,” all due to the supposedly beneficial technology of postponing aging. Implausible? Perhaps, but the questions it raises aren’t so different from the issues of our everyday lives.
Let’s face it. Each one of us has experienced the benefits of technology. I’m grateful for anesthesia for surgery and antibiotics for pneumonia. Even newer fantastical-sounding technologies such as electronic retinas and genetically modified “cancer killer” cells have not only become a reality, but will improve the quality of life of many sick and disabled individuals. The amazing benefits can lull us into blind acceptance of each new technological advance.
I’m going to give you three questions all of us—Christians or not—should ask about new technologies. We have a responsibility to be critical consumers and wise watchdogs.
First, is it necessary? Just because it’s there doesn’t mean we need it. New technologies do not always make our lives better. Sometimes the drive to use technology leads to unnecessary medical tests and procedures. Doctors feel pressured to “do something” even when the tests don’t offer a direct benefit to the patient, and can cause additional suffering.
Second, who does it help? In other words, for whose benefit are these technologies being developed? Do they help the sick and injured regain normal lives? Are they for the enhancement of a select few? Is it simply a product for those who can afford it look to younger than ever?
Finally, who could it hurt? One of the taglines for the In Time movii is “For a few to be immortal many must die.” We should be aware that our consumption of technologies may indirectly harm others, especially the poor and marginalized.
Whether we like it or not, technology inevitably changes us and our society. As “everyday bioethicists,” keep your eyes open and have the courage to voice your concerns about biotechnology. Remember the questions: 1) Is it necessary? 2) Who does it help? and 3) Who could it hurt? On our own, we cannot change society, but we each do have a circle of influence, even if it is just around the dinner table, or the person gazing at us in the mirror.