Taking a break
There is to much clamor around us. The TV, youtube channels, multiple social media platforms & to top it off, the mobile phones addicting all generations to messaging, WhatsApp groups on multidimensional subjects-demanding attention twenty-four seven.
The younger generation, in particular, tends to rely more on virtual friends and online interactions rather than connecting with peers in real life. The irony of social media is that while it aims to bring people together, it can also create a significant gap between individuals and their immediate surroundings. This is ironic. Social media connects people yet on the flip side it creates a yawning chasm between the connection with people in users’ real lives.
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They do become victims of FOMO or fear of missing out. They may feel they are not “in” and not being invited to parties and being dropped out. A family sitting in a room will often find themselves engrossed in their mobiles and less if at all with each other.
Moreover, the addiction to social media often leads to a neglect of healthy activities such as sports, exercise, and spending time outdoors. This sedentary lifestyle can result in various health issues.
A friend sent me a quote, author unknown, “Saw a guy at Starbucks today. No iPhone, no tablet, no laptop. He just sat there. Drinking coffee. Like a Psychopath.” It seriously made me stop & think. Have we not lost the pleasure of simple joys? Family having breakfast together? The joy of writing & receiving letters? Post cards? Sitting with our elders & listening to the stories of their lives? Like snapshots that remain in our memory forever?
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The happiness of receiving Eidi from elders, not huge amounts but amounts that were more meaningful in terms of gestures. Is the entire extended family getting at one house for lunch or dinner? The rooms overflowing with children & teenagers & elders? The traditional Eid delights laid out. Sweet vermicelli embellished with silver paper, sweet squares of halwa, tangy, spicy chat, samosas filled with assorted fillings, kebabs, nihari with sheermal or nans, homemade gulab jaman dripping with sugared gravy.
On somber occasions, like a death, or illness, the affected family will be surrounded by other family members, stepping in with food, or staying with the patient at the hospital, or just being there for moral support.
This sense of community and connection during challenging times is gradually eroding as families become more nuclear and individuals become absorbed in the virtual world.
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The writer is a lawyer, academic and political analyst. She has authored a book titled ‘A Comparative Analysis of Media & Media Laws in Pakistan.’ She can be contacted at: yasmeenali62@gmail.com and tweets at @yasmeen_9
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This article is not just another article but a reflection of what we are n how we have reduced to just ourselves. We turn blessings of technology into evils by losing our sense of good balance. Thank you, YAA, for this piece of real social service serving as a reminder to keep balance in life!