Philosophers have always recommended looking through the windscreen while navigating through life rather than the rear view mirror. I differ here. I think that rear view mirror despite being 5% of the windscreen size gives larger perspective of what has happened and like a message in a bottle also tells you what’s going to happen, if you live the same way!
When I look behind or at my current situation or where I want to go, the only thought that crosses my mind is that a lot has changed and lot is changing very fast both within and outside. Sometimes the habitat looks familiar and sometimes I am a total stranger!
On some pretext or the other we are often reminded of our childhood and one such conversation with my children recently took me down the memory lane and brought a smile on my face! But hang on! It did not even last a couple of seconds when the thought that my children today have not experienced the most simple and yet most beautiful moments that I had as a child.
Today our children are playing with 3D video games rather than playing with friends in the playground, they wear brands rather than clothes, they eat junk for food, they read random stories that too on phones / pad rather than story books . Where have Amar Chitrakathas and Panchtantras gone ? Today Summer Clubs run by professionals promise us to give our children this very Indian exposure!
As children, our households were full of people as we lived in joint families – cousins, uncles and grandparents. We used to play, fight, eat and travel together. Meeting friends and close ones was a norm. If social media was launched then, would I register? Probably not, there was no need! Sharing; listening and respecting each other views were taught to us at a very early age and today you pay to learn these traits . Why ? Because it is said that your success in corporate world depends on these behavior traits. Family Institute of Learning is replaced by Training, Coaching, Institutes of Communications, Team Building and today you even have subjects/topics dedicated to these areas in MBA!
We used to go to a school to learn and were not bothered about the brand of school. Only two kinds of institutes existed then: Govt. aided schools and Private schools. Now there is a fight over which brand of private school (air-conditioned vs. non a/c; International vs. local; learning through fun and what not ) my child will go to…. a big differentiator to satisfy our ever growing ego. Today child’s school defines ones social status.
In today’s world if you are not from few select colleges… you are no good! Even with closed eyes anyone can tell that there is not much difference between two students, one who gets 85% marks vs the one who get 95% +. Media, colleges and society are working overtime to increase this divide and we are creating more secluded, depressed citizens of tomorrow. We see so many students roaming around in the malls, theatres brandishing their college T-shirts just to say ” don’t come near me, I am different.” When I interview people, rather than talking about what they have learnt, they harp on the Institute brand they belong to!
Flashing of trendiest mobile phones; big cars; iPads; fashion accessories are the norm of today. In today’s world we cannot stand for minute with ourselves, we need a mobile phone to fiddle with! We project ourselves as super confident beings whereas we are very insecure today. When we meet someone at a bus stop or near a lift we don’t even greet… when did we stop saying ‘Namaste’ to each other! Our parents were confident, calm under all calamities, listeners – keen to know more about you rather than brag about themselves. Neighbors were extended families…. do we know now who stays next door!
Wherever you go today, you get that ‘I am bigger than you’ look from everyone around you, be it a social gathering; professional get together; at a restaurant; hotel or even when you enter inside an airplane! Everyone has his/her own compartments to fit you in and obviously theirs is bigger than yours! Today, we seek instant gratification. We lead a 2 MINUTE NOODLE LIFE! Our movies are one hour today; our matches 20:20; even God is sought through television channels and mushrooming of so called Gurus who are ready to give you essence of life in 30 minutes!
In today’s world it is all about share of voice – the louder you are, better it is -be it religion, politics or business. Who’s listening? I agree with John Lennon when he says: “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” We have more wealth; means; comforts but we are less happy and contended. Life then was a joy even with limited resources and life now is a stress . Egos have become taller than the tallest skyscraper.
Simple pleasures of life; having tea and supper together, going for picnics, going for nature walks, playing hide & seek, making mud houses ( today we are allergic to sun & mud! ) ….. I am a total stranger in my own habitat. And we claim we have evolved? Have we? Someone truly said : Life is not a 100 meter sprint, it is a marathon! In the past we had more marathon runners who enjoyed life as they ran but today we have 100 meter sprinters who miss everything in their zeal to finish the race!