If you are one of those few older people who says "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" or "My day is past" then read no further. This column is not for you. On the other hand, for anyone capable of reading a screen, a bit of one-finger typing and moving a mouse, an extraordinary richness awaits.
First things first. Why invest the time, effort and money? A computer is not as easy to use as a telephone or a television. It tests the user's patience a lot of the time with one caprice after another. Before buying one, or before deciding to take lessons, you will need to be convinced of the benefits to come.
The fact is that for almost everybody getting older the computer has something to offer. The benefits individuals get out of computing depend on their needs, tastes and life experience. They may need advice on avoiding stress and tension, or want to develop new skills, or improve those they learned many years ago.
As people get older their horizons inevitably close in unless they reinvent themselves to some extent. As Heraclitus said in 495 BC, "Life is being and becoming." Leonardo Da Vinci made the same point when asked which was his greatest masterpiece. "The next one," he replied. Computing is an ideal route to a continuous journey of discovery.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of the computer is the ability to make the faraway close. Those who have friends and relatives abroad can stay in touch as often as they like for the cost of a local call. Whatever kind of information they need, it's out there somewhere on some website. Greek and Latin classics, contemporary poetry or the Encyclopaedia Britannica can all be conjured up on the screen.
Many older people use the Web to read newspapers. One acquaintance from Kerry reads the New York Times each morning before his cousins in New York are awake. Responses to earlier articles of mine came from electronic readers of The Irish Times as far away as Canberra and Nova Scotia.
Then there's holiday planning. Whatever the destination, or the attractions there, information can be found online. This ranges from holiday bargains around the world, to availability of flights, to arranging a house exchange with somebody on the other side of the globe. There is no limit to the opportunities.
Perhaps the most promoted service at the moment is electronic shopping. One example is huge Internet bookshops that will instantly list what they have by any author and arrange for it to be delivered to your door. Many older people will have reservations about other kinds of electronic shopping. Who would buy a melon, avocados or vegetables without an opportunity to appraise and select them?
Even with this reservation, there should be enough above to give some idea of how a computer could enrich your life. Believe me it's worth the effort.
In future columns, Michael Gorman (mgorman@iol.ie) will deal with how to get started, access and training, and the possibilities of the computer.