Unedited Version (the "Before")

How do you think the world will be different during the new millenium?

I do not see the new millenium as the beginning of a whole new world. I feel that the year 2000 has been used as a buzzword for everything that is right about changing technology and as a scapegoat¹ for declining morality. In reality it is just another day. A day that will be what we make of it. I feel that the world is becoming a better place but it has nothing to do with this "magic number".

It is a well-known axiom, that knowledge is power. New technologies such as the Internet, cell phones, and satellite TV have succeeded in making the world smaller. Information that happens anywhere on the globe can be instantaneously known by all. This information can make you money in the stock market or be the lifeblood of the newspaper business.

The important aspect is to be comfortable in our changing world and to recognize what direction it is going. To attain² these goals one must be educated. In the past computer literacy was a bonus to employers, now it is a requirement. Factory work and other blue-collar professions are falling by the wayside and in its place are a new batch³ of technological⁴ position that are available. Sacred Heart seems to on the cutting edge of this new technology, even going so far as to require students to purchase a notebook computer. This is the type of thing that will give Sacred Heart students the advantage in the job market of the new millenium.

Assuming that education is no longer a stumbling block and the average person is knowledgeable⁵ of the new technologies, I believe we can look forward to many new advancements⁶ to come. Already our everyday lives are changing with inventions like EZ-pass. This theory could be taken to the next level over the course of this new millenium. By the year 2100 all transactions should have an EZ-Pass lane for quicker and easier transactions. Another easy way to transact⁷ business has emerged and it is internet shopping. This will only continue to grow during the new millenium. Companies like Amazon and CD Now are the pioneers and are already becoming household names similar to Kmart and Macys.

Aside from technological advancements we will hopefully see changes in our environment. As all forms and catalogs become available over the internet there will be less of a need to destroy trees to create paper. As online shopping becomes mainstream⁸ there will be less reasons to drive around town wasting gas and polluting the air.

In closing, although I do feel the world will be different, I do not see drastic changes ahead. I just see the continuation of a slow evolvement into a faster and more efficient society.

Edited Version (the "After")

How do you think the world will be different during the new millenium?

The millennium⁹ will not usher¹⁰ in an entirely¹¹ new world overnight. Just as Europe remained mired¹² in the Dark Ages for centuries after the first millennium came and went, so will our society require many years to experience deep change, a change that transcends¹³ the processor speed of the box on your desk. Contrary to predictions made in the year 1900, our cars do not fly in the year 2000, world hunger persists, and disease runs rampant¹⁴. Humanity changed little in the last 100 years because humanity changes slowly. As we watch Discover Card sponsor Times Square 2000 and M&M's try to profit off their fortuitous name, we see that nothing changed at all. More than anything, the year 2000 has been used as a scapegoat for declining morality and as a buzzword to glorify¹⁵ the fast pace of technology, the stress of life, and the downsizing of unskilled labor¹⁶. The next millennium will be what we make it. While I believe the world is becoming a better place, there is also much to be concerned about; neither our problems nor our cures have anything to do with changing millenniums.

It is a well-known axiom, that knowledge is power. New technologies like the Internet, cell phones, and satellite TV have succeeded in making the world smaller. Everyone immediately knows events that occur anywhere on the globe. This information can make you money in the stock market, be the lifeblood of the newspaper business, or provide necessary government information. By bringing people closer together and making countries and peoples interdependent, technology may make war more costly¹⁷ and thus contribute to peace.

However, one must not watch the world change; one must change with it. As Bob Dylan sang: " Your old role is rapidly aging, please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand, for the times they are a changin'." Technology is not a convenience; it does not make our lives less stressful or give us more free time. Initially¹⁸, we might think this, but soon the technology that was once a convenience becomes a necessity. At one time computer literacy was a bonus to employees, now it is a requirement. At one time, email was a nice way of contacting long distance friends; now it is an essential component¹⁹ of the modern workplace. Factory work and other blue-collar professions are falling by the wayside and in their places are armies of technological positions. Sacred Heart is on the cutting edge of this new technology, even going so far as to require students to purchase a notebook computer. This is the type of thing that will give Sacred Heart students the advantage in the job market of the new millennium.

Assuming that education is no longer a stumbling block and that the average person can learn the new technologies, I believe we can look forward to many advancements in the future. Already our everyday lives are changing with inventions like EZ-pass. This theory could be taken to the next level over the course of this new millennium. By the year 2100 all transactions should have an EZ-Pass lane for quicker and easier transactions. Companies like eWallet are already providing the EZ-Pass of the Internet to provide one-click shopping for everything. Ecommerce will only become more important in the next millennium as companies like Amazon and CDNow compete with giant retailers²⁰ like Wal-Mart and Macys.

Aside from technological advancements, we will hopefully see changes in our environment. As all forms and catalogs become available over the Internet there will be less of a need to destroy trees to create paper. As online shopping becomes mainstream there will be less reasons to drive around town wasting gas and polluting the air. However, at the same time, there is less and less reason to see people or to interact with them in a real way. This is a potentially dangerous consequence of our fascination²¹ with "virtual" shopping, chat, and surfing. While I see many positive changes that could occur in the next millennium, we should not expect utopia. What we will see is a slow evolvement into a faster and more efficient society.