"Don't be fooled by the internet, it is cool to get on the computer but don't let computer get on you"
Prince at Yahoo Internet Award, 1999
These words may sound general, or colloquial in this contemporary world, but still feel prophetic. Today, everyone around the globe is engulfed by this virtual world. The main reason behind this is the easy criteria to login. The virtual world or social media does not demand a strong standard to get in. All you need is a fake picture, a pseudonym, and you are good to go. There you can make comments, like a post or do whatever you want, without any proper check-and-balance.
(Picture taken by me)
But, in the real world, there are some rules to survive, some norms to follow. Such as the formal way to converse with others, the way to oppose someone, the neighbor’s rights. And without these, one is treated as an outcaste. So, the real world has high standards. Some may defy these in the name of individualism or the free world; still they are knowingly or unknowingly bound to follow.
Physical World
If a person is skipping his usual routine, folks close to him start to wonder and question his absence. Why didn't you come to work? Where were you yesterday? Why don’t you listen to your mother? But, on social media – such as Facebook, Insta - they worry less or not at all. Give it a try and you will find it out. Of course, excluding the dear one. After a week of absence, just use one word “SOLITUDE”, and boom! For me, humans are social animals, and they are meant to interact in both worlds simultaneously. That is why I will never understand this solitude phenomenon.
We are depressed souls
However, because of this we have become a “depressed generation”. We were supposed to control this technology, but alas, we let the technology control us.
Now our kids don’t have heroes like Superman and Batman; rather they have heroes from the technological world. Previously, kids focus was on the ground and real games. They used to spend time with friends and play real games, but now, it has changed. We have caged our kids from this chaotically beautiful world. We think that physical pain is the most dangerous one, but we have forgotten that mental pain is far worse.
I am not saying it is a bad thing at all, but a complete takeover is. The problem is we have sold our souls for this anxious world and not for peace. And now we are not willing to accept this fact, all in the name of modernization.
Maybe change is real; maybe change is here
Before this all out modernization, we used to feel life rather just surviving it. We used to feel the fragrance of rose; we used to get pinched by its thorn. However, time has changed significantly, and now, we are just disembodied. Previously, there used to be meaningful discussions with consequences. Now, the social media’s world is full of absurd noises and weird debates, without any consequences.
With more modern approach, we have shifted from attention economy to attached economy. Social media has become an addiction. The mind and keyboard never rests; the fear of missing out keep us active.
Moreover, the problem is not the technology itself, but the use of it. A balanced approach towards it will surely result in betterment, and surely, it is doing for many. But for majority, it is acting as a cancer - which keeps on spreading.
It is high time to let the kid go back to the actual world. Where they can play, they can argue, they can fight each other. Because: “Insaan badam khana se nahin seekhta; balka thokron se seekhta h (A person doesn’t learn from eating almonds; they learn from setbacks (hard knocks).”
In the end, we have imprisoned our entire universe inside a screen. Now this screen has become our sun, our source of light. But the truth is, real light does not come from the screen, it comes from life itself. So let us use all of our senses and live the best of our ,chaotically beautiful, lives.
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Peace 🕊