IT IS without doubt that hi-tech is contributing to the                                                                                               
development of mankind. The recent situation in East Timur is                                                                                         
a good example. The world quickly came to know about the                                                                                              
atrocities there as a good number of email messages, including                                                                                        
some from Malaysia, were sent to world leaders like US                                                                                                
President Bill Clinton.                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
With all this "technological comfort" and quick linkages, do                                                                                          
we know our neighbours better than our parents did, or are we                                                                                         
becoming so individualistic that even mechanical toys like                                                                                            
Tamagochi give us endless pleasure...and pain?                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Speed does matter - in economic competition, it could make or                                                                                         
break one. But in human relationships, one needs to take time                                                                                         
to reflect, ponder, "soak up" and savour.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Technology cannot replace this. I am reminded of the Harvard                                                                                          
Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr, who spoke about man wanting to                                                                                         
be different.  Through science, man thinks he has the answers                                                                                         
to all questions. He wants to climb all the mountains in the                                                                                          
world, if possible, by the most difficult route. In the midst                                                                                         
of it, he forgets to appreciate the beauty of the mountain,                                                                                           
nature and God's handwork.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
With regard to sophisticated technology, certain questions                                                                                            
come to mind: Are we "sold" technology that the industry                                                                                              
thinks we need or are we getting what we really want? Are                                                                                             
researchers and scientists beginning to play God, producing                                                                                           
whatever hits their fancy, fighting tooth and nail to outdo                                                                                           
each other, and at the expense of the consumer? Will the world                                                                                        
become a chain of wired offices and people?                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Is much of what we see and read about Hi-Tech a mass- media                                                                                           
hype? Could it be that IT and IT-related companies, through                                                                                           
advertisements and sponsorship, sometimes get us to believe                                                                                           
that If you do not quickly get onto the Hi-Tech bandwagon, you                                                                                        
are dead."                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Taken up with the "frenzy," how many countries and individuals                                                                                        
acquire Hi-Tech at much cost only to find out that it is                                                                                              
obsolete within a short period of time, or that they really                                                                                           
don't need it?                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
What is happening to poetry, stories and literature? Are                                                                                              
people still interested in the wisdom of the Ages and                                                                                                 
philosophy?                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Many people know who Bill Gates is. Can the average teenager,                                                                                         
or, for that matter the average adult, name a philosopher or                                                                                          
thinker?                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
Of course, one should not blame Hi-Tech for this, Much of it                                                                                          
is our own making. During Shakespeare's time, there were about                                                                                        
200,000 words in the English language, which subsequently grew                                                                                        
to half a million. However, most English- speaking peoples are                                                                                        
using less than 20,000 words, which includes a good dose of                                                                                           
computer lingo.                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
Is letter writing becoming a lost art with the preponderance                                                                                          
of e- mail? What about stories? Will they be told by an                                                                                               
unknown, not by one's parents? Are we becoming independent of                                                                                         
each other?                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
In England and elsewhere, people can now listen to a sermon                                                                                           
via the TV as it is too much trouble going to the church.                                                                                             
What about socialising and interpersonal skills - are we                                                                                              
running very short of both?                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
I am reminded of what W.H.  Davies wrote: "What is this life                                                                                          
if, full of care, / We have no time to stand and stare ... /                                                                                          
No time to see in broad daylight / Streams full of stars, like                                                                                        
skies at night .../ A poor life if, full of care, / We have no                                                                                        
time to stand and stare."                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Authors John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid say that many of the                                                                                         
predicted outcomes of the digital revolution have proven to be                                                                                        
false.  They say that the makers have "tunnel vision" and do                                                                                          
not understand the true complexity of the surroundings in                                                                                             
which the revolution is taking place.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
Take, for example, the "paperless office. Paper consumption in                                                                                        
offices, however, has been increasing between 100lbs to 200lbs                                                                                        
a year. Paper, say the authors, has a way of bonding people                                                                                           
and helping them work, communicate and think together. The                                                                                            
authors also believe that distance learning will never replace                                                                                        
the traditional mode, where people can meet and talk to each                                                                                          
other.                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
We have a new "breed" of teenagers, the "Internet orphans."                                                                                           
They come home, head straight for their rooms and surf the                                                                                            
Internet, moving into a world of their own.  Their parents in                                                                                         
the real world keep calling them for dinner. "Yes, coming,"                                                                                           
but there is no sign of them.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
Is technology taking charge, making us lose our skills in                                                                                             
small- time "real" hobbies like gardening and fishing? Can man                                                                                        
or woman work without the gadgets in the kitchen, office and                                                                                          
home? Do we find it so difficult to get to the sea that we                                                                                            
need artificial waves in swimming pools?                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
Many of these gadgets are useful, and help us save time,                                                                                              
energy and expense. But many of them could also cause agony;                                                                                          
we can do just as well without them.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
While Hi-Tech is important even inevitable - how much of the                                                                                          
world is it affecting? Across the globe, it is very much an                                                                                           
urban phenomenon.                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
There is gross disparity amongst countries. How much Hi-Tech                                                                                          
is there in, say, Outer Mongolia, Zaire, Peru, Surinam, China                                                                                         
or Vietnam? Many of these countries are "Hi-Tech have-nots."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
Even within countries, there is disparity. In the United                                                                                              
States, it is not equally distributed throughout the country.                                                                                         
According to a recent report, only 11% of Malaysians are                                                                                              
Internet users, much below the world average. Of these users,                                                                                         
65% are in the Klang Valley, 17% in Penang and 15% in Johor.                                                                                          
Other states score single digits.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
The Information and Communication Technology is evolving a new                                                                                        
society. There is democratisation of information so long as                                                                                           
you have access to it. It can promote a world where knowledge                                                                                         
is shared. But if it is not handled well, it can further                                                                                              
marginalise the poor economies, emphasising the disparity                                                                                             
among economies.                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
The people most influenced by Hi-Tech are the young. It can                                                                                           
result in a divide between the young and the old. Younger                                                                                             
people are happy to interact with the computer, leading them                                                                                          
to become poor in social and interpersonal skills. They must                                                                                          
be careful that although they touch many bases, they may end                                                                                          
up having few of the "softer" skills.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
From the Industrial Revolution onwards, man has continuously                                                                                          
created more and more complication for himself. Perhaps he                                                                                            
should pause and take the Asian idea of simplicity. Perhaps it                                                                                        
could be his ultimate cure.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Great leaders throughout history, including Buddha,                                                                                                   
Al-Ghazali, Confucius and Ghandhi, have spoken of the need for                                                                                        
balance, moderation, harmony and simplicity, We need not burn                                                                                         
the computers, but neither should they become our new "Gods,"                                                                                         
We should seek a balance between the two extremes.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
Take the technology we need and preserve our humanness.                                                                                               
Innovation and technology are not Just about machines and                                                                                             
computers; it is about people too. Hi-Tech and Hi-Touch need                                                                                          
not be antagonistic. They can be and should be smart partners                                                                                         
for a better world.