I love computers. I cannot picture how my life would have been without my computers. This love for computers stems from the very fact that it's advantages cannot be denied, and our reliance on computers is slowly becoming a cause for widespread concern. But what's the big hullabaloo all about?

While I was writing this essay, I felt an urgent need to address this issue. For a long time now, we have been unduly worried with the advances in computer technology. We are in the midst of a "New Economy", or at least that's what the Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong remarked during his annual National Day Rally this year. We cannot ignore the fact that we are becoming increasingly dependant on new technologies, and we are constantly being out-dated with new and revolutionary technologies that seem to spring forth every second of our lives. From desktops to laptops to palmtops, computers are slowly moving into our lives, and perhaps into our own bodies soon. I have seen and heard many of my peers warn of the dangers of this selfless plunge into computers. I have read in the papers about the fears that many people have about man's relentless pursuit for better and faster computers. Even my parents have heard and read so much about the fears of technology that they have consistently warned me about spending too much time in front of my computer.

Personally, I think these are all nonsense.

When men asked for a better world, they argued that we are not fast and bold enough to seek new horizons. Now when men cannot meet the pace of a rapidly changing society, they lament that this world is evolving too quickly. What, then, is the ideal world to live in?

I believe in no ideal world. We make the world what we want it to be, and we will live with it and in it, whether we like it or not. We seek the changes we asked for, and when we finally have it, we must be bold enough to harness its full potential and improve our lives the way we wanted it to.

There is no need to fear computers so much. I find that with new technologies arising every minute, it poses a challenge for me to keep up and harness the benefits that come with these advances. I believe that it's time we learnt that we can no longer live on the experiences of yesterday; we must now seek new pastures that are yet unexplored. Therefore we must cast aside our fears and take the first stride towards a brave new world, a brave "New Economy" and a brave new future, for ourselves and for generations to come.