In the midst of learning the latest email software, colleagues go about mutually sending and forwarding messages to others, producing a ding-dong sound every time a new message arrives. Reading emails, sending emails, a whole day in the office is filled with laughter. After the lesson is over, mailboxes are checked and promptly emptied of all nonsensical emails. Colleagues walk out of the office solemnly for their daily office work, a stark contrast with relaxed atmosphere reminiscent of totally different people.

In a prosperous, high-tech society, people are lacking in communications abilities. Enter any bookstore, the shelves are filled hottest sellers focusing on social communication skills - individual, spousal, relatives, friendships, work, leadership, all levels from all walks of life are missing lubrication. Friction arising from people against people releases disturbing bangs and screeches. More and more people are having the habit of communicating with machines. Faced with emotionless and totally submissive monitors and speakers, people seems to be having more freedom.

A young friend spends at least three hours a day chatting over the net, with fellow students, old friends, friends introduced by friends and strangers. He says this relationship is most relaxed with no stress and no responsibility for what is said. A group of people spending their time online, exchanging games. Once tired, the names are promptly deleted from the address book by the click of a mouse, without the agony of annulling relationships.

A fast-changing society does not and will not accommodate a stagnant mentality and reflection apone the past. Living is becoming unnatural, deteriorating the natural inner beauty. To entertain immediate wants, emotional needs are shelved aside and entirely forgotten thereafter.

Residing on the leading-edge of technology, it feels that like living in a virtual world. Direct face-to-face communication has become scarce. The two living persons have to rely on lifeless appliances to interact. Facing a cold and lifeless phone-messenger, even a word of love seems a chore; with an email message, even friendly words sound bland. After finishing emails, I cannot help feeling uncertain. Is that email I sent going to reach the target or forwarded to an unquantifiable group? My relies, with a click of the mouse, can in fact be posted for the world to read!

The virtual world arising from the telecommunications revolution sweeping the globe has indeed become a gigantic net, there is nowhere to hide. The mass media continuously bombade us about the information age, the world is but a click away, enticing yet forcing people to accept the vast advance of global information. However, the electronic age still belongs to a replacement experience and never of any real material substance, what we see or hear are only stored content within databases. In the midst of information explosion, we can only feverishly learn to adapt, never having the time to think and reflect upon ourselves, thus information replaces the meaning and essence of life.

My family has been following the news of the May 1998 violence in Indonesia and more recently the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. From racial to religious conflicts, my twelve-year-old son is still ignorant of the identities of the parties and the effects on our country and lives. One day, there's a newspaper report with a picture of a mob parading the freshly hacked of a man, yet after looking at this picture, my son still suggests going to MacDonald's for breakfast. The advent and continuous bombardment of information is slowly eroding our impressions of the various facets of society, distinction between the real life and the virtual life is blurred. All matters that happened are part and parcel of information itself, habitually read and heard, but not cared and empathized. A heart capable of feeling and shining with the light of care is enclosed, the vibrant activity of life has been reduced, frantically searching for happiness and satisfaction in an environment filled with virtual entities.

The whole world are working frantically to build this type of society, our future generations are drifting further and further away from the humanitarian society envisioned and painstakingly built by our forefathers.

In actual fact, human relationships in real life are complicating, the structure of society is continuously changing, and people are trying to adapt. People are impatient with the deep relations of the past, whether in life or death, for umpteenth lifetimes. These are becoming the fairytales and movies, not in the present real life. In the present, the human relations are filled wit the stench of greed and lust, ever calculating, screeching-hot at first and off in a puff of smoke. For example, during net chatting, the entire life story may be conveyed, yet a new beau is sought the next day. The modern generation's tired souls are endlessly searching and destroying in cycles, not allowing rest and recuperation.

Experts monitoring the ills of society always use reconstruction his word - value reconstruction, ethical reconstruction, societal order reconstruction. However, reconstruction normally signifies a loser attitude. Is a place for even a tree of emotions in the virtual built-up environment?

In the virtual world, all senses provide links to the superficial virtual environment, once the power is cut off, all return to switched-off mode. The way out of all this is simple - cut off the power, end the mailbox, personally walk over for a welcoming greeting; switch off the TV, direct ourselves to our loved ones; put down the telephone, talk personally and directly with people beside you with the same tone and laughter; stop surfing, walk into the streets, shuttling in crowds, feel true happiness and agony. But the disheartening fact is this has become very difficult in Life.

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