What a waste of time...

Just yesterday, my dad asked me to read am article that was written in the chinese newspaper. It is pointless about me ranting if I speak nothing of the article. Let me try to summerize it as much as I can.

The article speaks of how teenagers like us are wasting so much time on computers, online chatting and games. Time can never return once it has passed us by. 1 minute equates to 60 seconds. 1 hour equates to 60 minutes which in turn equates to 3,600 seconds. 1 day is 24 hours. So in total, it is 86,400 seconds. In a year, theorectically there are 365 days. Which totals up to 31,536,000 seconds. If an average human being lives up to 80 years of life, his lifespan would be an astonishing 2,522,880,000 seconds. In our life, this is the amount of seconds we have to live. So shouldn't we cherish it instead of wasting it away with mindless computer games and online chatting?

The article also goes on to speak of how computer dulls the imagination of teenagers like us. In the past, teenagers would come home and read newspapers and books which improves their imagination and language skills. Novels would allow them to imagine how their characters would look like and sound like. Even during fight scenes in the books, they can imagine how it would be like. Whereas, with television and movies now, all we have to do is watch and even before we know it, we are done. This would not allow us time to think about the show or movie and we just forget about it soon.

They even had an example of this kid wasting his time away playing computer games and letting his studies go astray. Only when he realised how much he had lost, he has decided to turn over a new leaf. Ultimately, he wasted a year and time is lost.

So my dad got me to read this article. I have to really say that this author speaks from the view point of how badly he thinks about computers. I daresay that his whole article does not have any good points of computers and how it is beneficial to us. So how can one sell his opinion to another when he does not look from the eyes of others? That is why I feel that this article is biased.

Let me start by slowly breaking down his article and counter arguing it.

Let me ask all of you. What is wastage of time? It isn't a question that is easily answered. Why? Because everyone of us have different views on what is really considered to be a waste of time. For me, I feel that a waste of time would be doing something which you are not enjoying AND there is nothing beneficial to it. Examples would be, being angry at someone or feeling sad and moping around doing nothing. So, from the article, we can clearly see that the author's view is that computer games and online chatting is a waste of time and we should rather be reading. How is it not a waste of time to me? I enjoy playing games. Although I would have to say I am guilty of spending too much time on it. Still, I do not think that the extra time I spent on it is a waste of time because I enjoy every single second of it.

Next, how can online chatting be a waste of time? It might be to some. But the main problem I have over here is that my dad thinks I spend too much time on the computer. I am usually online till about 2-4 am. Why is that so? The main culprit would be chatting online. You all might think that I am crazy. I am not. The reason for me staying up this late is because my best buddy in the whole wide world is on the other side of the globe and her time is sadly, the opposite of mine. Unless someone can think of a way for the world's time to be the same, I wouldn't stay up to chat with her. You might go on to ask, why doesn't she stay up and talk then? She does.

Alright, even if the world time is really the same and the planet is flat. Why am I still on the computer talking to her? Simple. If you make Singtel charge my call rate to local call rate, I would gladly call her and talk. Other than that, online chatting would be the most cost affordable.

Lastly, spending too much time on computer games does indeed affect school work. However, I do try to put both into balance. (Usually the games is heavier.) But so as long as I do not disappoint any one and most importantly, meself. I think I should not worry too much about it.

So, how is it such that playing computer games and chatting online is a waste of time? I do not know. If you think it is a waste of time. Then it is a waste of time. That is all I can say. Ultimately, how we feel about certain issues is shaped by our own thoughts and other people's opinion. Therefore, I can't say I am entirely right about this matter too.

What are your views?