slave to technology.. (II)

When was the last time you used a pen/pencil to write? Do you (still) remember how to write with a pen/pencil? For those who knows Chinese, can you (still) write with a calligraphy brush/pen? Can you do simple arithmetic, like adding and subtracting, in your mind without any help from calculators? Can you remember telephone numbers without referring to your mobile phones?

You might have the opinion that why do we need to know how to spell when there is spell-check function? Who needs to write those 'complicated and confusing' Chinese characters when knowing their Pinyin is good enough (to allow the computer to print them out)? Who needs to remember anything when there are thousand and one devices out there that is gonna help us with almost everything that involves mental activity??

Yet we have to 'exercise' our brain with these basic and simple tasks before moving on to more (mentally) engaging activities.. How can we hope to produce a new generation of thinkers and scholars when they couldn't even figure out simple logic and reasoning??! It is one thing to utilize technology to help us with daily tasks, but quite another to be so utterly dependent on them that we lost our basic abilities. Writing is one of the things we human have developed since civilization that sort of defined who we are. Arithmetic is the basis of technology - everything is built on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of numbers..

There have been articles on the fear of losing one's ability to write Chinese characters/caligraphy. And I think this is only the tip of the iceberg.. How can we explain and justify to the younger generation that they should learn how to write using their hands (with a pen/pencil) when they are exposed to keyboards and touchscreen at a young age?? People used to say that your handwriting tells a hidden story about your personality and it could provide a glimpse into your subconscious.. How to do that when everyone types?? I personally think that the structure and physiology of human brains will change (neuroplasticity) when we stop writing.

I am not saying that we should all go back in time and start carrying ink bottles, quail-feathered pens and parchments.. but we should at least try to use a pen/pencil and write something once in a while, whether it is your grocery lists, greeting cards, memos or just some scribblings..

I have always had a habit of keeping a diary and I still do, although not as often as I would like to.. And I must admit that I had to rely on an electric dictionary, more often than I like, while writing.. I had forgotten how to write some of the words, especially Chinese vocabulary, although I could easily recognize them when shown.. My writings are still fairly legible, although depending on my mood they tend to vary in sizes and neatness.. ;) I like the feel of a smooth pen rolling on paper, producing words, sentences, paragraphs and then an entire article.. :)

Here is another thought: when everyone is able to "carry" an entire library in their 3G/4G/xG phones or other IT gadgets, ready to access any type of information/data anytime, anywhere, will anyone still wanna learn?