I think I'm a person that's very pessimistic about, like I'm not

Hear, O seekers of balance in an age of wires and light, the voice of Oneohtrix Point Never, who spake thus: “I think I’m a person that’s very pessimistic about, like I’m not a luddite but I don’t think we need to crack the code of technology and bring forth a future techno utopia.” In these words lies a sober reminder, that not all progress is salvation, and not every invention leadeth to glory. For the dream of a perfect world forged by machines is but a mirage shimmering upon the horizon—bright to the eye, yet empty to the soul.

Mark well this wisdom: to be pessimistic is not to despise, but to question. The speaker doth not call for the destruction of machines, as did the Luddites of old, who smashed looms in their rage. Nay, he acknowledgeth the place of technology, but resisteth the intoxication of blind faith. For men have often mistaken the tool for the savior, believing that steel, code, or fire could cure the frailty of the human spirit. Yet time and again, they discover that no device can replace wisdom, no machine can heal the hunger of the soul.

Consider the tale of the atomic age. With the splitting of the atom, mankind believed it had cracked the very code of creation. Leaders proclaimed a new dawn—limitless energy, medicine transformed, cities lit by the power of the stars. Yet within a short span, Hiroshima and Nagasaki bore witness to the darker truth: that what promised utopia could also deliver ruin. The atom was not evil, but the heart of man, wielding it without balance, unleashed devastation. So too with every great advance: it is not the tool, but the spirit of its use that decideth whether it bringeth life or death.

Reflect also upon the Industrial Revolution. It brought speed, wealth, and wonder. Trains crossed continents, factories produced goods in abundance, and cities swelled with life. Yet alongside its glories came smog, poverty, child labor, and alienation of the worker from his craft. Those who dreamed of paradise awoke to slums and soot. Here again, we see the warning in Oneohtrix’s words: technology alone cannot deliver a utopia. It may magnify our reach, but it also magnifies our flaws.

And yet, O seekers, despair not. For the message is not that we should forsake all progress, but that we must pursue it with humility. A farmer who plants seed without wisdom may starve his field, but one who tendeth carefully may reap abundance. So too with invention: if guided by virtue, it may heal, connect, and uplift. But if left to greed, haste, and vanity, it shall enslave rather than free. Thus, the true work of man is not to worship technology, but to master himself, that he may wield it with justice and restraint.

The lesson is plain: beware the false prophets who promise paradise through machines alone. Remember that the worth of the future is measured not in circuits or codes, but in compassion, truth, and wisdom. Seek not a world of gleaming steel and empty hearts, but a world where the tools of progress serve the flourishing of the soul. Let technology be the servant, not the master; the means, not the end.

Practical is this counsel: when thou dost embrace new tools, ask thyself—doth this make me more human or less? Doth it strengthen my bonds with others, or weaken them? Doth it deepen wisdom, or feed only distraction? Choose with discernment, for not all progress is worthy, and not all futures are good. Build not upon the promise of techno utopia, but upon the enduring virtues of patience, humility, and love.

Thus remember the words of Oneohtrix Point Never: “I am not a luddite, but I do not believe we must crack the code of technology to bring forth a techno utopia.” For the truest paradise is not forged in silicon or steel, but in the spirit of mankind, walking wisely with the gifts of creation. Let thy faith be not in machines, but in the eternal virtues, and thou shalt build a future more enduring than any code.