Feature

Technology- a blessing or a curse?

Syed Sidrat Amin

As I write this article, I also hold in my hand my Sony Ericsson mobile and I wonder how technology has leaped, especially in the last three years. Even few years ago, mobile phones were a luxury, color displays were rare and camera phones were almost unheard or unseen of except the very affluent who managed to get their hands on a fancy mobile phone because he could afford it. Now a days almost every body ranking from the middle to the top class has a fancy mobile set which is capable of taking pictures, used as MP3 players, Email, WAP, etc. No dear readers I am not here to review mobile sets, I am simply pondering about technology and how it is affecting us. Indeed these features are fun as well as useful, but also this mobile keeps you in touch with the world, parents with their children, friends across the ocean but this very device is also being used for evil purposes. Bombs being set off in remote places, mobile phone cameras being used to abuse girls etc are a few examples of the negative sides of this device.

Another technological marvel I also ponder over is the computer and the Internet. Every year a computer gets smarter and also cheaper while the Internet has managed to reach almost every person in some way or another. Some remote villages in India now have atleast one computer connected to the Internet. People at the click of a button can send their message from one sphere of the earth to the other in a matter of seconds. Sadly even this marvel is being abused by the likes of terrorists and hackers.

So at the end of the day we see that the more technology leaps forward and makes life easier for us, there is also a dark shadow lurking in the background. It is our duty to stop any sort of abuse or atleast not be a part of it. I therefore urge my peers to be more respectful and responsible about such technological marvels.

(Stamford University)

Syeda Sabita Amin

University, work, extra curricular activities, family and friends… this is what life is all about right now. The stress from work and the responsibilities of life are making me wish I could go back to when I was younger. Life was so much simpler. Ok right now I sound like I'm really old and I've accomplished all I want from life, but I'm just talking about where I am today, how I think now and how I used to be before.

I still remember when I was in fourth grade I would count the number of years till I finished high school, how old I will be and when I'll finally be in university! I couldn't wait! Life back then was all about going to school, being with friends and family and going to bed on time. I couldn't wait to grow up!

The eyes of a child can be so naïve. The innocence is never ending and the world seems so different. We wonder why there isn't world peace, why people are sad. We dream about making a better world and breaking all the rules of life that seem so horrible at that moment (going to bed on time, limits on TV time…). Being a child it seems to us that these are the most difficult things on earth. The objects we desire back then are toys/dolls and everything that's sweet, edible and yummy. Some of us maybe even wanted to take over a chocolate/cookie factory. Ah the simple dreams…

As we grow older, we want something more and get a bit more pulled away from our innocence. Pre-teenhood and teenhood is all about what's new and fashionable. Our concern for a better world starts decreasing gradually and we're at the point of thinking "world peace yeah ok but right now I wish I could be so rich so that I could have all the accessories I want!" We are given more responsibilities. A few years back running away from the opposite sex was the thing and now we're all for running towards them!! Again being an adolescent is the hardest thing on earth right now. Still wishing we could grow up and do whatever we want…

The next phase in life is the last year before graduating from high school. The pressure for good grades that will ensure a place in a great university are constantly on our minds, reminding us that this is the time to act for the future. We harbor dreams of graduating and having a great career. University is the best time and we can do whatever we want. We are now given the title of an adult and hold the keys to many things.

Right now I'm nearing my second year of University. How time flies… This is what I have gone through till now and I know there are so many others just like me. Like I said it's like we can't wait to grow up!! Soon all of this will be over and we won't have anything to grow up to… we'll already be there… jobs, families etc.

I know I still dream about a better world like I used to when I was younger, but after watching the news from all around the world I lose hope at times. There are thousands of people who are working on everything they thought about and wished for as a child and I can do nothing but simply bow to them right now. I myself don't hold the simplicity that I had when I was younger so I can't criticize much but how is it possible to change completely? How is it possible to forget all the things you thought of as a child?

Ok so I got my thoughts out and am rethinking of the statements I made earlier. I do wish I could go back to when I was a child but since I can't, I can always learn from it. My dreams of a better world can become a reality if I work for it. Since I have the capability to I can make it come true and not only dream about it. As I mentioned, you get many keys to life, and the older you get the more keys you have. One of those keys must be for the door of dreams. Dreams that we had as a child - maybe not the chocolate/cookie factory ones, but certainly the important ones.

One more thing: I know it's late but I would like to congratulate the law students from Dhaka University on winning the National Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition. It's true that you all winning isn't just a great thing for DU, but it's something the nation should be proud of and take note of. Congratulations again.

(Student of BRAC University)