What is A Thing that Can Put a Man to Death and Also Bring Him Back to Life Again?

My World Politics professor ended the class in tears. We had talked about the advent of the fourth stage of humanity: the technological/digital age (it us up to us to define the term, he said), and that we are the first human beings to live in a world where time and space are compressed to the point that they do not constitute a minor barrier in the process of globalization. He demonstrated this by showing us a video clip of street musicians from all over the world collaborating on the song "stand by me" simultaneously through airwave. This is a side of the globalization story that is so refreshing and on point, it filled us with tears of hopefulness, especially having just learned about the deprivation of the poor states by the dominant states, as well as the astronomical wealth inequality. My professor said that what moved him about the video was that it portrays something beautiful created by the cooperation of ordinary people with talents, instead of those in power, and by doing so demonstrated what can potentially spark from the marriage of technology and however much human agency we as ordinary people hold.

This reminds me of a play by Sarah Raul that has been one of my constant source of inspirations. It's called "In the Next Room, or the vibrator play". The story is set in a time soon after Edison's discovery of the application of electricity, and it stages a battle between technology and human emotions. It revolves around the question presented in the play in the form of a riddle: what is a thing that can put a man to death and also bring him back to life? Some say it's electricity, while others say love. The main character, Dr. Givings, is fascinated with science and technology and uses one of the earliest electronic appliances, later identified as the vibrator, to treat patients with hysteria. While reading the play, I found myself impressed with the great technological leap at the time, in contrast to the bizarre belief that women's emotional instabilities are caused by bad fluids in their wombs. The doctor's expertise in the latest technology and his belief in traditional, conservative family values reflects an imbalance between technology and cultural progress. In the play, the imbalance is mediated by the doctor's stay-home wife, who is unknowledgeable about science but constantly raises profound questions about human relationships, socially-constructed norms and gender roles. The play ends on a hopeful note with the couple's passionate embrace in the snow, symbolizing the harmony between science and humanity.

Both the music video and the play give us a sense of hope and empowerment in the age of technological advance. Technology doesn't have to be be cold and intimidating as long as our cultural intellect and moralities are on par with it. To borrow my professor's words, globalization isn't an intimidating process, it started since the beginning of humanity, when one person desires to connect and understand another.