The Musings
This time- the dawn of blockchain, AI, quantum computing and our pretty digital-social landscape, isn’t just a time to read. Or do we even read? We mostly consume everything around our digital screens like one pizza slice after another, often over-eating without realizing it.
This time of the day or of the night at 2:23 am isn’t an ideal time for anyone to write and sleep themselves in. But I think, it's a better way than glaring numb on my screen. Hopefully, this cluttering on the keyboard will add to this endless digital space. Perhaps helping me reflect on this night better or resonate with one of you in any corner of the world. One can also read a book, a physical paper book. I would reckon it's not out of fashion, boring, or black and white way of slouching in the bed. Or can this also be interpreted as a sign of moving beyond one's 20s? Especially when flipping black and white pages give more peace, compared to the usual diet of social media scrolls, crisp freshly baked videos.
From Consuming to Creating- We All Know We Can
To read is good, to have our mind feed onto some new information, read the analysis or indulge in some good classic fiction is definitely an intellectual high-ground that we can take in 2019. But is it what we all really want to do, all the time? Is it the best we can continue to do? Or is just a personal moral currency we tend to accrue to avoid feeling guilty about lazying around again, shamelessly feasting over other people’s creations?
To weigh on some of the real rather than the fake stories, to make each person matter more, than just a visit on a webpage
Or can I choose and sit up to create? Yes, in fact, that’s what I and many of us actually want to do. If I can take a wild guess, I have felt that many of us feel to create more, and we know that we can do so. But the resolve, belief, discipline and the zest of it goes lacking. In this time of the 21st century very well know that education and knowledge aren’t just about continuing to learn. We must go beyond and start to create and share. To not to be part of that segment of the digital society where we scroll to consume, but to sit upright and create.
It might not be a new mobile app, a perfect research article, an endearing creative story, a lyrical poem or the most in-depth analysis. But I must sit up to stir those thoughts fluctuating in my mind, connect the loose ends and frame it up to form a meaningful piece. I know I can do it and so can everyone around me. I know my participation in this digital society can add a pixel of weight to a few ideas in the least. To weigh on some of the real rather than the fake stories, to make each person matter more, than just a visit on a webpage. We all can be that building blocks towards a more positive social dialogue.
The Post Truth Era
Am I being too philosophical here even before my beer is finished? Why being a working cog in a mushrooming digital society is essential? Back in the earlier part of modern history, hard-work was all that was required to succeed. Then education became the stepping stone for success and social influence. Then technology begins to accelerate and multiply the positive effects of formal education and knowledge economy.
Now in a way, there is a post-truth, post-education era
For the majority of people living on earth, getting a college degree is less of a challenge now than what it was half-a-century ago. Getting one’s voice heard was even a bigger challenge. Leaders were few and followers were plenty. There was more of trust and less of doubts. But that was then, till the knowledge society and economy reached its peak. Now everyone is a leader and there’s so much voice as if am living in a cacophony. And the majority of those voices are opinions disowning the facts. Tweets and Likes crack up like pop-corns to launch an alternative theory.
Who Will Authorize the Facts in the Future? Will It Take Us All?
Coming to facts! Who authorizes something as a fact anyway? Not every data source is reliable! Everything can be broken down to my "perception Vs your perception" theory. Voting isn’t the perfect solution. There can be an equal number of people supporting an alternate theory simply because they can. Sometime’s it feels like we’ll all die arguing one point or another.
The nukes of tomorrow can be loaded with 5 million ton of Tweets, Likes, and Votes to destroy a vulnerable fact
The fact which might have been true but was supported by merely 5000 simple candlelight votes of real people walking on streets. How’ll the truth survive? How’ll we manage to discuss and agree on a thing that is true and must be done? And not in a manner of exchanging turns or favors, but simply because that’s the right thing to do.
Perhaps asking the right question would pave a way. There might be better, more intelligent and technologically innovative ways out there. As of now, this is what I believe in- that is to go back to fundamentals. Question oneself and others, not to argue but to find answers. To start a conversation, not to debate but to understand. To start building a future than to just continue living in the past. To begin, to create in any small way, than to just continue to consume. So be it the perfect time of the day or the laziest time in the night. This time let’s also create something before we continue to consume.