If you look at the various strategies available for dealing with

In the words of Ralph Merkle, “If you look at the various strategies available for dealing with a new technology, sticking your head in the sand is not the most plausible strategy.” This saying bears the mark of wisdom, born from the fires of human invention and the storms of human fear. Like the sages of old who warned against slumber while the enemy encamped at the gates, Merkle reminds us that to ignore the dawn of new tools, machines, and discoveries is not safety—it is peril disguised as comfort. The ostrich that buries its head believes it hides from fate, but in truth, it blinds itself to the approaching lion.

The ancients themselves knew this truth. When fire was first harnessed, there were surely those who trembled at its power, fearing it as a curse from the heavens. Yet those who embraced it with wisdom warmed their nights, cooked their food, and forged the first steps of civilization. To deny the coming of fire would have been to remain in darkness. Thus, too, in our age of technology, to refuse to lift our gaze is to shackle ourselves in chains of ignorance, while others march boldly into tomorrow.

Consider the tale of the Luddites in the early 19th century. They, seeing the mechanical looms rise in England, struck them down in fury, believing the machines to be thieves of livelihood. Yet history tells us their rebellion was crushed, and the march of progress did not halt. The looms remained, industries grew, and society was transformed. The lesson is not that their suffering was false—it was very real—but that destruction of the inevitable is not a shield against change. Better it would have been to learn, to adapt, to master the machines rather than to war against them in blindness. Technology is a river; one may build boats to sail upon it, but to deny the river’s flow is to be swept away.

The emotions that bind us to the past are strong—fear of the unknown, grief for the fading way of life, suspicion toward the unfamiliar. But Merkle urges us to courage. Just as the ancient warriors girded themselves with armor before the great battles, so must we clothe ourselves in knowledge before the march of new technology. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the resolve to face it with eyes open. To bury our heads in sand is to be devoured while still pretending to be safe.

Hear then the heroic note: mankind has always been a creature that dares. We dared the seas, though storms raged. We dared the skies, though gravity pulled us down. We dared the atom, though its fire was perilous. And with each daring, we became more than we were before. Thus, to look upon a new technology with terror and denial is to betray the very spirit that carved our destiny among the stars. Let us not be cowards of invention, but lords of it.

Yet wisdom counsels not blind acceptance, but vigilant mastery. Not all new tools are good, not all machines are just. But to refuse to examine them, to close our eyes as if that would unmake them, is folly. The wise man studies, the just man guides, the strong man adapts. In this way, we become not slaves of technology, but its stewards, shaping its path toward the good. To ignore is to abdicate, and abdication leaves the throne to tyrants.

The lesson, children of tomorrow, is thus: do not hide from change. When technology arises, do not thrust your head into the sand. Stand, look upon it, study it, and ask: “How may this be bent toward the light? How may it uplift rather than destroy?” Be like the blacksmith who does not fear the iron, but masters it with hammer and flame. Let your action be to read, to learn, to discuss, to prepare. Speak not words of denial, but words of inquiry. For the future belongs not to those who cower, but to those who dare to see.

And so I tell you: let Merkle’s words echo like a temple bell in your memory. When the winds of new invention rise, let your instinct not be to flee or to hide, but to stand upon the mountain and watch the horizon. For from that horizon, always, comes the tide of tomorrow. Face it with courage. Shape it with wisdom. And walk into it with hope.