"Advancement" of the human race?

So I've struggled with this issue for a long time, and still haven't found a clear-cut stance on some issues, but maybe that's okay. It'd be interesting to know what you all think.

So there's a notion that technology and advances in science and such are actually a detriment to the advancement of the human race. One can argue for either side, but let's look at both sides of the coin. I was reminded of this issue while driving the other day, navigating using the cute little Tom Tom that my dad let me borrow. At one point, the GPS suggested a route that I knew wasn't as fast as the one I'm used to taking. But, instead of listening to my gut, I followed the machine's instructions and ended up losing precious time which made me late to an appointment. So why did I go against my gut feeling and trust the machine? I don't really know ... but I'm sad I did.

My point is, sometimes, I think the advancement of technology makes us a little lazy and, for a lack of eloquence, stupid. There are a plethora of devices out there, in my humble opinion, which keep us from learning and using our own brains. Of course there are exceptions. There's no way I could argue that something like an MRI machine makes us dumb. It helps us better diagnose medical problems and then solve them. But with other software, like a voice-to-speech software, I think it just makes us a little lazier (handicaps aside). And I'm afraid to get to the point where much needed skills (well, perhaps in the old days) may be lost to technological advances. I mean, when's the last time you read a paper map, using a legend, and measured the distance from your home to your destination with a ruler? Honestly ... I miss it. *sigh*

And, while I'm on the topic, let me give you my thoughts on Darwinian Medicine. While I think it's great to have things like penicillin and chemotherapy, you can't argue that humans, overall, have become weaker by preventing evolution with the advancement of medicine. We are, presently, incredibly susceptible to disease. Of course it's cruel and almost inhumane to think, "Well, if someone has a fever or a disease, let their body deal with it. If they die, then they weren't meant to survive," but to a point, I think that our current cultural/societal practices are halting our human development. Perhaps my bias also comes from my dislike of taking medicine when I'm sick. I'm a big advocate of natural remedies and letting a disease run its course if I think I can handle it. I frown upon 'quick fix' solutions for all the problems that we have nowadays, and how you can buy a pill for almost anything, be it restless legs, weight loss, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

This might sound somewhat unprofessional and borderline bitchy, but I think people should get off their butts and solve their problems the way they're meant to be solved - in a healthy, holistic fashion. Don't look for the easy way out. How can you expect to lose weight by taking a pill if you don't start exercising and eating healthier? How can you expect to get over depression if you wait for a pill to take effect and don't take any steps toward bettering your life's circumstances? These complaints and cases make me so angry ... it makes me lose faith in humanity sometimes. Well ... aside from whining about it, all I can do, as a future physician, is stress the importance of looking at problems from a holistic perspective. I can see myself denying someone medicine if they don't take steps towards bettering themselves, haha. Guess we'll see how that turns out.

My hope is that we, as a society, don't turn out like the people in Wall-E, and forget how to appreciate what's around us, forget our essential survival skills, and continue to keep evolution at bay until it's too late. So remember children, 1. Don't treat the symptom, treat the human, 2. Don't forget how to think, and 3. Let your kids eat their boogers when they're young (to develop their immune system).