A Road Leading to Nowhere !!

Hie Readers! J

Warning: This post is very descriptive in nature and thus very lengthy. Read only if you are prepared.

C'mon mujhe dekhne de kiska message aaya hai?

Oh shit ! Download last minute pe ruk gaya !!!

Dekh toh kaun online hai !!

Itne saare "Likes", bhai ki toh nikal padi yaar !!

Isne mera status like nahin kiya abi tak! huh! 

You gotta see this new app, its like magic!

Oye saare apps automatically update ho rahe hain !!

Inbox full ho rakha hai yaar !!!

My internet Speed Sucks mahn !!

Whatsapp ke group mein dekh kaun kaun converse kar rahe hain !

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???????????

What is happening to this World? Or better I should ask what has happened to this World?

Seriously what's wrong! How did they replace that playground with something called "FACEBOOK" & "WHATSAPP"

How did they forget their memories with old friends in the midst of online friends?

How could they! 

When did suddenly this 'Whatsapp' shit happen?

I’m sorry I called this shit, I can understand your feelings towards it, after all this is your 'Life'.

When did poking, playing with each other turned to what people call "ANGRY BIRDS" today!

Okay to portray in simple words I would say:

That hide & seek we use to play in our childhood, we are still playing it but, now it is a virtual game!

All I’m flabbergasted with is "How Smartphones changed us, almost all of us?

How did they come to us, and bewitched us?

How did they start controlling our every emotion and action?

When did they become more important than our friends?

The only thing that I know is they shouldn't have. They should not anymore.

Smartphones were made to make social life easier, but, according to me they have made it even worse.

Great Social-Networking-Sites like Facebook were designed for Individuals to come in contact with other Individuals. Is their mission successful?

Partly. Because people these days who are using these sites have fallen into the wrong idea that they should only make friends with people with who they are already in contact personally. I say what's the use?

Okay I don't mind. But why to kill possibilities of finding new friends. After all that's called SOCIAL-NETWORKING-SITE and not ADD-ALL-THE-KNOWN-PEOPLE-SITE.

It is okay to add anybody, anyone is liberal to do anything but I have problem with only those people who find it ridiculous to add new people and make new friends just because they have bundle of old friends.

For me it has become a 'pattern'

Found New Profile.

Requested to connect.

Request Accepted.

Me : "Hi this is Jay looking for New Friends to share some interesting moments with".

Other : "Hmm". That’s good.

Me : "So what do you do"?

Other : Explained. And asked me the same.

Me : What're your hobbies?

Other : Replied and asked about mine.

Then some clichéd questions, and boring inquires

Sharing Of numbers: DONE

Contacting each other: NEVER

Online Chat: Once in a year or may be twice for few minutes.

Any Difference In each other's lives: Not even negligible.

So why did we become "Friends”?

To like each other's posts, photos, see the check-ins?

Certainly not. At least I wanted to chat, know each other well, meet each other, make difference in each other's life by staying, hanging out with each other, spending some time in a Month if not in a week, Dinners, lunches, Get-together, Parties and many more things.

I wanted you to be with me when I feel low, and you ended up liking my Facebook update that "I’m feeling Sad"

I wanted you to admire me for few of the things I’m good at, you never cared to comment on my achievements.

I wanted you to meet me, you never did. You always found an excuse of being busy.

You said you will give me a call back once you are free, you never did.

We became friends on Facebook; we never became friends in REAL God-Damn-It.

We met online almost regularly, we never met in real.

Question : So what's the use of having a Facebook account?

Answer : Deactivated It.

Why this happens?

I believe people these days have turned very selfish. Sorry not just selfish but, Brutally Selfish.

They already have their own friends with whom they hangout, they already have their own groups with whom they can have fun, have meals together, converse and everything. No problem. But why to give others an idea that you are up for making new friends when in reality you just don't need anyone because you already have so many people around you.

When would they understand that any random stranger could be a best friend! And their best buddies even were once strangers. So why not give a try? It breaks monotony.  It brings some fresh surprises. It adds new energy to your life. It will give you a new perspective to your thinking. 

But failure of understanding these things makes this situation dull and uninspiring.

It’s Sad. It’s pathetic. It’s time-killing. Because it has turned nothing-but-the-pattern.

This was about Facebook, Now, back to smartphones, back to Whatsapp, back to earphones, and back to what you call "Life". I call it 'E-Life' (The Virtual Life)

This E-life has changed you as a person. This Virtual Life of yours has blinded you.

It wants to help you. And alongside, it is attracting you completely. It wants your complete attention, and you like a fool giving it.

In this you aren't realizing what you might be losing gradually?

You might be losing your potential friends. You might be losing Real Conversations. You might be losing that sheer fun that others are having. You are definitely missing nature's amazing gifts.

You are constantly on 'Whatsapp' chatting with one or many at times. You say you enjoy doing this. Indeed its great to connect to those who are far away.

 But every time?

                      While in a bus, cab...

                                                                    While in College...

  While Studying...                 

                                                                                                   While Eating...

                                     While Travelling...

                                                                              While Working...

While swimming even you can't keep your eyes off your mobile screen

While in a restaurant with your friends or family

While you are in some social gathering

During some festive time

During some religious occasion.

In the Morning. In the day. In the Evening. Before you go to bed.

Just Every time!

and ignoring all the other things, ignoring all the real meetings with those people with who you are chatting. Aren't you overusing it?

The real bonds are not made through some app, they are created once you meet someone and allow them to be part of yours. Bonds are cultivated, and nourished for years, not through the chatting but connection of hearts.

Preference is a different thing, but Addiction !?

I understand you really feel good when you use your smartphones for hours, playing those HD games provides you with fun and entertainment. Those applications in Playstore and ios store give you reason to live. That's completely okay if you keep it up till this but, you don't. Even when you meet each other, you forget about everything but discuss applications, showing the stuff you have downloaded, discussing whatsapp conversations, How can this be okay ? How could you forget about your own life ? your own friends ? And because of what? because of the thing you call “Smartphone”.

Addiction is not healthy. And the most dangerous one is this electronic addiction which is no less than a drug.

All you are doing is talking and talking and not having the conversation. All you now know is how to reply to the texts.

Where would it take you?

Isn't it already wasting so much of your time (given that you aren't meeting those people in real).

You have grown so dependent on it that even few hours of not using your mobile phone make you feel frustrated, and you become mad on others.

You start expecting so much from those online friends who are just not doing anything other than chatting.

And the other time when you aren't chatting, your eyes are glued to the computer screen or your smartphone and you are busy playing games, downloading apps, or most commonly these days i.e. editing your pics in various image editing applications again for those social networking sites in a pursuit of getting more and more "Likes"

Even the gossips have turned to "E-gossips" !

The worst part is you are deceiving each other. You are showing what you are not!

You say what others want to hear, you show what others want to see and not what you want to show.

Writing "kewl' won't make you look "Cool" or Addressing with "brada' won't make the other person your Real brother.

And That Plugged-In life?

When travelling in trains, you prefer to listen to your favourite songs rather than enjoying the journey, and making connections. For every 5 minutes you spend on listening to music in those "Headphones" you are killing many chances of observing something fascinating around you. You think everything around is 'Bullshit' It might be something very enchanting and useful. If you just put those headphones in your bag for some time and just have a look what others are doing, just smile to the ones who are not looking very happy or looking upset, it might make their day if it doesn't do any good to you, the other person might get impressed with your smile and you guys end up being best of friends. Isn't it possible? Not just possible, it is in fact probable.

I’m not against using the smartphones or social networking sites, except at the cost of life.

Doing what is fruitful is wisdom.

Don't just get absorbed into it so much that you forget almost everything around you. 

I know its really fascinating to be online, chat with people, share pics, your life's various incidents, and blah blah blah..., But life devoid of smartphones is indeed great too. Just give it a try.

Here is how you should go about it?

Note : The following piece-of-advice is very disheartening, and extremely difficult to follow. Please read at your own risk.

• Switch off your mobile for some hours of the day. And Spend time with yourself, just with yourself.
• Discontinue your internet plan for a week.(168 hours).
• Put your headphones in your bag for a major part of the day.
• Try to overcome the urge to get new updates for your favourite applications and games for a few days.
• Completely avoid using your cellphone when you are meeting someone even a friend,
• Try to convince others about not using their smartphones for some days (I understand how it feels; when someone is doing the stuff that you are refrained to do).

The above things are difficult because now you are so much addicted to them that mere a thought of living without these electronic ingredients spoil your mood already, makes you feel helpless. 

But the only way to overcome the dependence is to be independent.

Soon you will witness following things:

• Boredom.
• Occasional Frustration.
• More time in hands.
• More scrutinizing over options to enjoy.
• Exploration of new things.
• Cultivation of new hobbies.
• Realization of your passion.
• Generation of innovative ideas.
• Increased sense of living.
• Increased Self-satisfaction.

And Finally,

• Feeling of being STUPID.

Why?

You will feel so mesmerized after doing these things, that all other things including spending time on internet and with your smartphone would seem totally meaningless. You will feel more liberating without these things and would want this feeling to stay with you forever.

And Hence,

You-will-be-Cured !!!!

Sounds So easy?

Really ! Ask those addicts and they will make you cry just by that expression of helplessness over their face.

So this is something that I very firmly am against it. I myself was part of it at some point of time, but not with such involvement, but still I chosen to come out of it as soon as possible, I Feel thankful to myself, because I can breathe, I can go out, I could enjoy the cool breeze on the streets, I can eat without any disturbances or any Facebook notifications, I can talk to someone paying full attention, I have no more diversions and I could concentrate on what I m doing. I can live in a moment fully !

This feels great. This feels utterly beautiful. 
Just leave this E-world behind for sometime and come with me in real world. I promise you, you will pride on what you did.

Thanks for reading…

LOVE,

Jay