The thirsty lives that we all lead


Among many things that vie for our attention and sometimes do manage to get it is our breakfast and of course our kids. They really have to fight hard to win over the ipad or the handheld device that has kept us engrossed, across apps, tweets, FB messages and instagrams.
This morning was no different, staring at the many green buttons that emerged on my FB chat window, some of who also were parts of the Gmail chat app as well. Each of those green buttons meant something, a need to connect a need to feel connected. Yet, none of them were possibly really connected to anyone.
This is the biggest paradox of the times that we live in, we have more ‘friends’ than any past generation ever did, we have more means to talk, chat, scream, dialogue than any past generation, yet we are bereft of any emotional fulfillment that these should bring. For most of us, this is an addictive companion who you want to have by your side, but don’t want to engage too much with. The makers of social media realize this probably, which is why there are harmless easy non engaging measures like the ‘Like’ button which is a convenient means of engaging and not engaging at the same time. And there of course is a film reel kind of roll of people’s thoughts, actions, photos, inanities, all of which pass in front of us as we munch popcorn and watch this movie unfold. The movie is ours, we are supposedly actors in that film, yet we are happy playing cameos if I may, brushing through scenes that we ‘like’ vicariously enjoying watching what others are doing and saying.
Recall childhood, for anyone who is at least 30 yrs old, and the riot that the playground would have been or that recess break in school, with kids tumbling over each other, racing to the canteen or the nearest goody store, engaging, laughing. Why school play, think back to canteen days in college, how engaged we were, constantly being fulfilled emotionally by laughter, leg pulling, sometimes being the perpetrators, many times the victim.
What we do now is anything but this. Have to admit, there is a hands off comfort to this engagement, us cocooned in our cozy corners, not exposed, or out there, having to adjust, follow norms and mores in the real world. Daresay there is safety of some kind. But at what cost?
Now when am done with this blog, look back at the other window and see 600 Friends, I think, when did I roll in the mud last with any of them…
What do you guys feel about this?

Comments

Anonymous said…
the price to pay for information/visibility.pressure mounts to make better movies of our lives. we focus on the script and editing. we forget to live it. as for emotional engagement, it is deigned vulgar.
May 14, 2012 11:47 am
trupti hede said…
ditto ajit. I guess the need to remain detached comes out of the fact that we dont want to show how venerable we are :)
May 14, 2012 2:11 pm
Ajith said…
@Trupti- well said, it also talks about a certain perceived trust gap, how will I be judged, seen, perceived...
@Anon- thank you for the comment..not sure abt vulgar, personal inhibitions are limiting many of us,we are playacting all time, who's the real us
May 14, 2012 3:01 pm
voyager said…
Maybe its our growing up with age that we dont see what kids see (I mean they might still be having fun or connecting with others like we used to do - not exactly the same like us, but similar, I guess .. not having visibility and so its a guess). We have grown up and maybe its us being the culprits that we are engaged more with electronic media rather than the kids (I would compare what our parents used to do when they were of the age that we are in; rather than comparing what we are doing now to what we used to when we were kids) :)
May 24, 2012 7:43 am
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