Show A Hole 1 in My Soul 1 l On Sale At Your Y ur Local Retailer Bionic Arms I recently saw some old reruns of ofa a show called the Six Million Dollar Man For those who have hav never neverseen neverseen neverseen seen the program the idea goes something like this Lee Majors has hasan hasan hasan an accident is mortally wounded and the government saves his life lif by fitting him with several expensive bionic limbs The new accessories allow our hero to run at superhuman speeds punch holes in steel doors and shoot laser beams out of his eyes Contrast that with my dentist appointment last week I neglect my dent dental l care my teeth acquire several decaying holes and my dentist saves my eating future by filling several expensive cavities The new chom- chom pers allow me to drink cold beverages beverages beverages bever bever- ages without wincing bite clean through sinewy steaks and chew for hours at a time Now is it a stretch to compare the theone theone theone one to the other Is an obscure science science science ence fiction TV program fundamentally fundamentally fundamentally tally similar to a dental examination The answer of course is yes Consider your typical European man of the dark ages Somewhere between 50 and 53 tips the scales at around 20 and dies of old 35 His work life involves age at 0 h heavy avy manual labor he will only only d bathe if he falls in a river and a trip to the doctor may involve drilling holes in his skull Not to mention the countless plagues and diseases that periodically roll through the area Then jump ahead to the Your typical American man is around 6 feet and pounds The life expectancy is more like 75 years Doctors regularly replace major organs and joints with man-made man parts You can get vaccinations for forthe forthe forthe the plague Is it all that difficult to imagine a w Is it all that difficult to imagine imagine imag- imag r ine me a day when the six-million- six R s man dollar is a reality Granted I 4 i personally look more like the seven dollar seven man fifty cent man Nathan Nelson Editorial Editor but were we're talking about potential day when the six-million-dollar-man six is a reality Granted I personally look more like the seven-dollar-and- seven man fifty-cent-man but were we're talking about potential If our society has progressed that far in six centuries and most of it in the last 25 years what can we expect in the future Heres Here's an interesting view of the future another couple hundred years and the same Joe Average runs between 65 and 69 and pounds Old age starts at Nearly everyone has bionic implants most since birth Doctors can replace every body part with synthetic long lasting materials Disease is a thing of the past cancer is cured AIDS is isan isan an antiquity Now for the Orwellian twist most children are conceived and fostered in a lab then at birth fitted with a issue government-issue brain implant The impulses are controlled by a master computer to keep the masses on the straight and narrow Were We're capable of living in a perfect free crime-free peaceful peaceful peaceful peace peace- ful world because were we're programmed programmed programmed pro pro- that way The point is as the medical profession profession profession pro pro- moves forward it pushes morality issues into the background We already have doctors who will surgically alter bodies and faces for a price in fact society is very accepting accepting accepting accept accept- ing of the practice Is it impossible to envision a surgeon who will upgrade internal body parts and add manmade manmade manmade man- man made implants for money Strictly speaking the medical profession has a wide array of miracles miracles miracles mira mira- cles at their fingertips I personally personally know someone with artificial knees and another with a replacement heart I Conditions that would deteriorate a I body within three weeks are controlled controlled controlled con con- trolled indefinitely Drugs and surgeries surgeries surgeries surg surg- eries and treatments make us live longer healthier lives But theres there's a adark t dark side But do we trust doctors not to abuse their informational power Do Dowe we trust the politicians who run th the government go government nt As takes strides forward who should act as the moral voice Students at this college college college col col- col- col lege cant can't even trust their politicians to be honest about school work how about when those same people are allowed to control your thoughts But maybe the future wont won't be all that bad Maybe Im I'm just being a is half kind of guy Besides maybe having the Executive Council control my brain wouldn't be that bad I mean they're trying t to todo todo do it anyway besides I hear the kickbacks are great |