Mornitors Everywhere

I always wonder why class monitors are called monitors anyway. Literally, that is a position teachers use to monitor the whole class. In primary school, whenever anyone makes any mistake, the monitor just inform on the teacher ruthlessly. Strangely enough, none of us feel uncomfortable when young. Maybe we’ve been made accustomed to monitors since childhood.

When we grow older, the function of class monitors changes dramatically. However, we are still far from getting rid of being watched but under control of electronic monitors. They appear everywhere, such as on the street, in the shop, bank, office, even classroom. Many of us feel not easy and violated, which I totally understand. No one has the right to know my personal life. But when it comes to monitoring, it’s not the same circumstance at all. Let’s face it, who in front of the screen will be interested in your righteous behavior? They’re professional. Even if they’re not, after watching so many records, they only search for suspicious people. Actually, you’ll only be looked at, but not seen. In that case, how should it affect you?

It should be admitted that monitors are part of our lives. I don’t really think there is any need for us to be uncomfortable about them. Maybe it’s an inappropriate metaphor, but the way monitors intrudes privacy is just like mobile phones intrudes leisure. Without alarm or invitation, they come into our lives. No compromise.

But how can we complain about that? Monitors are necessary just like mobile phones. We have to confess it is us who made them necessary. Human beings need disciplines out of nature. For instance, when I ask myself, “Will you obey the rule not to deal with personal emails at work when there is no monitor”, I’m sorry to say my answer is an absolute no. It’s not unreasonable that we don’t trust rashly. Though we may not like monitors, they help the world function normally and more efficiently.

However, when it comes to personal life, it’s totally a different story. Like in the movie The Trueman Show, the narrator lived monitored unknowingly. It was so horrible when he found that people all around him were actually actors and lying to him. I haven’t watched the movie, but sheer the idea quite shocked me.

Conclusively, the wide use of monitors has both advantages and disadvantages. But we all have to accept their existence and live an undisturbed, undistracted life. Monitors are not supposed to affect us, but to benefit us, because benefiting the world is benefiting us own.