Page 21 - 伊利沙伯中學舊生會湯國華中學

The Magic Box
The Magic Box

5B Wu Tommy

In the Digital Forest, everyone had a smart box called Little Box, which could solve almost
anything. Liz was an ordinary villager who loved the box. When she had trouble with math or
composition, the box gave her instant answers. Soon, she stopped thinking for herself and
believed life was easy.

Once, the forest held a handicraft competition. Everyone had to make their own lantern. Liz
asked the box for a plan, as she always did, and followed it exactly. Her lantern looked perfect,
but holding it brought her no joy. Her friends’ lanterns were not flawless, but full of warmth and
personal effort. They received praise, while Liz felt guilty because the work was not really hers.

She slowly realized she had forgotten how to think by herself. Later, the teachers took all
the boxes away because the villagers had become too dependent on them. Without the box,
Liz could hardly write simple sentences or solve easy math questions. It felt like wings that had
never been used—she was losing her ability to “fly.”
Deep in the forest lived an old forest keeper. Seeing the sad Liz, he took her to a dry,
empty flower field and said, “Try to take care of these flowers by yourself. Don’t ask the box for
help.” At first, Liz did very badly; several flowers died. But she kept trying, watched the sun, felt the
soil, and learned from her mistakes. Gradually, the field grew colourful, vibrant, and full of life.

When she held the flowers she had grown, she felt a new kind of happiness—safe and
real, not the easy comfort of copying answers. She finally understood: the box was not meant
for reliance, but for helping. It could give fast information and beautiful words, but it could not
help us grow as a person.

From then on, Liz changed. She still used the box, but only as a reference. She thought
first, wrote her own ideas, and solved problems step by step. Other villagers followed her
example. They learned that thinking for ourselves may be harder, but it is far more meaningful
than always depending on the box.
In the age of AI, the most valuable thing is not readymade answers. It is our own thinking,
feelings, and growth, which are essential to making technology secure and beneficial rather
than detrimental to human beings.

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