Technology gives us the facilities that lessen the barriers of

Hear the voice of Emily Greene Balch, a woman of peace and wisdom, who beheld the rise of machines and the trembling of nations. She declared: “Technology gives us the facilities that lessen the barriers of time and distance—the telegraph and cable, the telephone, radio, and the rest.” These words were not uttered in idle wonder but as a testimony to a new age, when the world that once lay vast and scattered began to draw close, village to village, nation to nation, heart to heart. What once took months of journey could now be carried in a spark of sound, in a line of wire, in the air itself.

The origin of this quote rests in Balch’s life-long devotion to peace. Born in the 19th century and living into the storm of the 20th, she witnessed wars that tore continents apart. Yet she also saw how new inventions—the telegraph that tapped across oceans, the telephone that carried voices through the void, the radio that filled homes with words and song—dissolved the ancient walls of separation. For in the shrinking of distance lies both hope and danger: men could now understand each other across borders, but they could also spread hatred and war more swiftly than ever before. Her words remind us that technology itself is not evil, nor good, but a force that magnifies the spirit of the one who wields it.

Think on the story of the transatlantic cable, first laid beneath the ocean in the 19th century. For centuries, news from Europe to America required long weeks by ship, borne across treacherous waters. Yet with the stretching of that mighty wire beneath the deep, a message could fly across the ocean in minutes. When Queen Victoria sent her greeting to President Buchanan in 1858, the world felt itself transformed. Empires no longer seemed so far apart. The barriers of time and distance were pierced, and humanity stepped into a new rhythm, where oceans became like rivers and continents like neighbors.

Yet even as these barriers were torn down, Balch saw clearly that the greatest walls are not of earth, but of the human heart. The radio could bring a symphony into every home, but it could also spread the poison of propaganda. The telephone could let a mother hear the voice of her son far away, but it could also carry the lies of deceit. The telegraph could carry a plea for peace, but also orders for armies to march. Thus, her words carry both awe and caution: these facilities are mighty, but they demand wisdom in their use.

So what, then, is the lesson for us? It is that we must never confuse the conquest of distance with the conquest of division. The world is nearer than ever, yet true unity is not born from wires or signals, but from compassion and understanding. Technology gives us the tools, but it does not give us the heart to use them well. Without wisdom, the shrinking of distance may only magnify our conflicts. With wisdom, it may become the very path to peace.

Children of tomorrow, take this as counsel: use the devices of your age to bridge hearts, not to widen rifts. When you hold a phone, know that it has the power to heal or to harm. When you speak across the vastness of the internet, remember that every word flies faster than the wind and lingers longer than stone. Ask yourself: do I use this gift to build, or to destroy? For in this age, each of you wields a power once reserved for kings—the power to send your voice across the world in an instant.

Therefore, live with discipline. Practice patience even in a world of speed. Seek truth in an age of noise. Use technology as a servant, not as a master. And above all, remember that the fall of barriers is not the end of the journey but the beginning. As Balch taught, the tools of telegraph, cable, telephone, and radio may lessen the barriers of time and distance, but only the strength of love and wisdom can lessen the barriers of fear and hate. Use them well, and the world shall draw nearer not only in space, but in spirit.