IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2023 - 4

President's Message
President's Message
Society's Dilemma in Our Day in Age:
Technology and Academics Versus
Social Development
Luis Kun
retired
William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense
Studies
National Defense University
Washington, DC 20319 USA
 As I trAvel around the world, I listen to older
generations complain that their children do not go
out of their homes and play outside. Instead, youngsters
go to their rooms and " play " with their phones
and computers. Already, many even prefer avoiding
school and taking their courses online.
I believe that the most important component of
our life is our education, at school, at home, and
elsewhere. Everything that we come across during
our formative years ends up impacting everything
else: employment, income, the quality of what we
eat and can afford, where we live, physical and mental
health, and even the relations we establish with
others. We are exposed to a microcosm of the world,
where you have all types of individuals that range
from the absolutely nice to bullies and everything
in between. During those early years, however, our
focus and principal objective might be playing,
and where: religion, the color of the skin, different
cultures, different sex, different political party affiliations
are probably irrelevant in our eyes. It is also
an opportunity to develop long-lasting relationships
that may last a lifetime. We learn that despite our differences,
we can get along by respecting each other.
As new technologies keep appearing, what can elder
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2023.3301586
Date of current version: 21 September 2023.
4
0278-0097/23©2023 IEEE
generations do to balance those technologies with
the social development of the youth?
I received my primary and secondary education
in Montevideo, Uruguay. In 10 out of those 12
years, I was never able to choose a single course
or classmates. We all got the same education and
had the same classmates. In addition to our regular
classes, we played sports together, every time we
had an opportunity. As we became teenagers, we
had parties every Saturday and we learned to dance
together. We also collected clothes and food for
the poor, and we visited and helped different communities
with disabilities such as the blind. Back in
school, we also learned how to cook, typing, and
carpentry.
In the United States, once I had my own kids, I
was exposed to a system where after the first six years
(i.e., in middle school), you start choosing what you
believe you will like but are unable to receive a complete
education where all subjects are covered. As
important, those early " social " relations are cut suddenly
and lost. Very rarely will you share a class with
someone from your recent past.
If we had a system in the United States where 50%
of the time was dedicated to a single academic program
for everyone, and the other 50% to social development,
society would reap the benefits. Imagine
teaching kids about diet and nutrition (while getting
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IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2023

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