Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're not part of the

Hear the fierce and uncompromising words of Stewart Brand, visionary of the digital age, who declared: “Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.” This saying is not a gentle teaching but a trumpet blast, a warning as sharp as the clash of iron. It tells us that when the tide of invention rises, there is no neutral ground. One must either adapt, take part, and move with the force of progress—or be crushed beneath it, forgotten like dust on the roadside.

In ages past, humanity learned this truth again and again. When the printing press was born, those who embraced it spread knowledge, power, and reform across nations. But those who clung to the old ways of script and parchment were left behind, their voices fading into silence. The press was the steamroller; the unwilling scribes became the road. And so it has always been: in every age, a new technology arrives, sweeping away those unready to rise with it.

Consider also the story of the Industrial Revolution. The machine looms of England transformed cloth-making overnight. Those who learned their craft anew, mastering the machines, grew prosperous and shaped the future of trade. Those who resisted, clinging to the ancient handlooms, fell into ruin. Some, in desperation, became the Luddites, smashing the machines that outpaced them. Yet smashing could not stop the march of progress. The steamroller of industry rolled on, and those who stood against it became the broken stones beneath its wheels.

The meaning of Brand’s words is not that technology is merciful or kind, but that it is relentless. It does not wait for the hesitant, nor pause for the fearful. It surges forward with the momentum of history itself, driven by the ingenuity of minds and the hunger of nations. To survive in such a world, one must learn, adapt, and grow. To refuse is not only to be left behind, but to be trampled underfoot.

Yet there is also a heroic call hidden within these words. For to be part of the steamroller is not merely to survive, but to help shape the road itself. Those who embrace new tools with wisdom, who master technology rather than being mastered by it, become the builders of the future. They are the ones who lead nations, guide communities, and open doors that others cannot yet see. The steamroller is not fate alone—it is opportunity for those with courage to climb aboard.

The lesson for us is thus: do not meet new technologies with blind fear, nor with blind worship. Meet them with readiness. Learn their ways, understand their power, and discern how they may serve both you and your people. If you hesitate too long, you risk becoming the road, flattened by change you cannot control. If you embrace them wisely, you become the driver, steering the force of progress toward creation rather than destruction.

Therefore, beloved seeker, take action. Do not shrink from the march of invention. When new tools arise—be they in science, communication, or art—seek to understand them. Train your mind to be ever flexible, your spirit to be ever learning. Do not cling to the old out of fear, but carry the wisdom of the past into the tools of the future. In this way, you will not be crushed, but will ride with strength, shaping the world as it changes.

And so, the voice of Stewart Brand thunders across generations: “If you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.” Let his words rouse you, not into despair, but into vigilance and courage. For the steamroller of technology will not cease; it will roll onward into tomorrow. The question is not whether it comes, but whether you will stand in its path, or climb upon it and help drive it toward a destiny worthy of humanity.