I CAN’T help but feel that I’m making a deal with the devil every time I start my computer:
“I have six hours to start and finish this paper, Computer. Please help me.”
“Oh, you know too well that I have everything you need, dear: a speedy internet connection and all the programs that you might need. Go ahead, go ahead…”
I would then lock my eyes to the screen, barely blinking. I would start to click time away, and end my own trance with a solid slap when I realize that I have managed to open 12 Facebook tabs, watch two Glee episodes, and waste three precious hours. During those times, I could swear the purr of the exhaust fan sounded like mocking laughter.
Technology granted me the ability to make almost anything possible. I was a wizard with the cursor as my wand. By hitting that ‘Search’ button, I became as smart as I wanted to be. And I’m quite sure these things are here to make my student life easier. But why does it seem like it has swallowed me whole?
Yes, technology made things easy, too easy in fact, that it became too hard to resist. I would instantly drop my pen and paper at the sight of a blinking cursor, believing that I could do things better electronically, even if I know that I could end up burning hours on those social networking sites. Ask any random group of people my age, and I bet they would bounce enthusiastically in agreement.
At this point, it would be so easy to blame these gizmos for that late paper, for global warming, and for every cancer known to man. But in an unseemly situation, the smarter being should always stand responsible. And so far, I would like to believe that humans are still a couple steps more intelligent than these magical demons.
We can’t deny that technology is no longer an alternative nowadays; it has become an indispensable part of education. But more than the trouble-free researches, the on-hand communication, and the spelling check, this saturation of technology has brought me to remember the worth of one’s strength of will; that we must regain our trust on our own ability as humans. This is a lesson that I’ve come upon after all those crammed assignments and sleepless, stress-filled nights. Without realizing this, all those clever little gadgets would be nothing but distractions to my life as a student.
We shouldn’t let ourselves be constrained and consumed by our confidence (or maybe addiction) to anything that runs on electricity. Because technology’s ambition is nothing near mind control or world domination–it’s all for the society’s development. We are intelligent. And for that reason, we must strive to recover the balance of human talent and technology. This way, we genuinely open ourselves to creativity, ingenuity, and to the better life that we have imagined.
