How civilization turns people into biomass: the dangers of comfort and moral decline

Since its dawn, civilization has tempted man not only with technological discoveries and advances but also with the pursuit of comfort

In today's world, where comfort has become one of the most important values, man's pursuit of ever greater comfort threatens to lose his humanity, becoming a "biomass" - a mechanically functioning automaton stuck in a field of comfort. Is the price of progress in our civilization the loss of individuality?

First, let us look at what humanity calls "civilized life." This term covers not only external conditions, such as modern cities, technology, or infrastructure but also everyday actions we perform in the pursuit of convenience. From well-equipped homes to a service sector that seeks to serve us as kings, life has long been more comfortable than ever before. Society meets every need we have, even the smallest and most hidden.

The negative effects of convenience and comfort

However, the increasing number of comforts of civilization inevitably has negative consequences. Living in constant comfort, where everything is within easy reach and basic needs are almost automatically met, weakens the human capacity to act courageously and creatively. When people are constantly looking for ways to make their lives even easier, they soon become mechanical consumers of their environment, losing the ability to make difficult decisions, face life's challenges, and develop their inner world. This is the birth of the "biomass", a being for whom the comforts of civilisation become the goal of life rather than the means.

In civilization, man often loses not only his ability to create but also his moral and cultural maturity. He becomes addicted to technology and consumption, and the ability to think creatively and philosophically is dwarfed by the desire to experience a new pleasure or comfort. Eventually, as some thinkers have argued, the human being becomes a "bio-robot" - an automated being, no longer governed by reason but by the desire to live a life free of distractions and challenges.

For example, modern technology and communication tools, which were originally designed to improve people's lives, are now becoming a trap. Instead of helping people to be more creative, they enslave them, taking away their time and attention. People become part of a "civilizational biomass" where their vitality and uniqueness are lost in the technical noise.

The future of human beings depends on maintaining our ability to think and act creatively

What does all this mean in the wider context of civilization? Every civilization has faced a process in which convenience and material aspirations have come before moral or spiritual values. The Roman Empire, whose luxuries and comforts were irresistible, fell when people lost touch with the values and purpose of their community. Similar examples abound in other civilizations.

However, history shows that humanity often fails to learn from past mistakes. The philosopher Georg Hegel argued that history teaches only one lesson - people never learn it. The question is, therefore: will our civilization, in its pursuit of technological progress and convenience, repeat the mistakes of the past, or will it realize that the true goal of humanity is not only material comfort but also moral and intellectual development?

The future of mankind depends not only on how comfortably we live, but also on how well we maintain our capacity for creative thought and action. If we do not realize this, we risk becoming not human beings but biomass, acting according to the pre-determined rules of civilization, with no will of our own and no vision of the future.