Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Time. Changes.

Time flies. Another year is about to get over. 90s got over some 14 years ago, and that itself sounds scary. These days kids learn to operate mobiles and ipads even before they learn to say their name. I was brought up in a small town where cordless phone was also considered a fancy technology in those days. We had to go to big cities like Bombay to get certain toys, or fancy branded clothes and stationery. Now you just have to order it online and it gets delivered at your doorstep. I don't even think office people use stationery much anymore. 

There was this landline era that amazed you. How easy it was to connect with people staying miles apart. Or talking to someone staying next door without meeting or shouting at the top of your voice. Or giving blank calls when his father picks up the call, making a girl call you as boys' calls are not allowed at your place. One ring means come down to play - I have been through everything. After growing up, I asked my parents if they didn't trust me as a child, they said that they did trust me, but they were just protective about me. Eventually they allowed everything they had put restrictions on back then. So yes, it was not about trust after all.

And clothes. I used to visit Bombay when I was in school. I used to see girls roaming around in shorts without any inhibition. In a small town, if you step out in a knee length dress, people will stare at you as if you are roaming around naked. Now with time, things have changed there as well. I have seen the time where daughters in law were not allowed to wear even salwar suit, and now some of them manage family business too.

Times have indeed changed. People are becoming more and more independent by being dependent on the technology. There is solution available on internet for every damn thing. Relationships are becoming more and more fragile. Distance keeps increasing between people. We take along portable gadgets to remain in touch with people instead of taking the pain of taking out time to meet them. Sms, phone calls, voice notes, blocking them, flirting with five people at a time, everything is connected with some social life of that person, it's a trend to be there on at least three different social networking sites, or messengers. You are easily reachable, but never available.

After facebook, how many people have you called and wished on their birthday? Instead of keeping in touch with them regularly, we use this to avoid them as much as possible. We stalk them just so that we remain secure about their commitment towards us. We want to foresee the heartbreak. We fight if one girl likes his every second post. I think I should deactivate all my social networking site accounts too the day I decide to settle down. I am that scared.

Girls get into depression if they don't get many likes on their pictures. Yes, I recently read about this. It was so called facebook addiction. And whatsapp addiction. "Last seen at" killed many relationships. We stopped using technology for good. We started abusing it. And misusing it. 

I don't know where did this post start from and where is it ending. I am writing after a long time. I have been trying to write something for quite some time, but couldn't come up with anything worth reading. I discarded at least five drafts before starting this one. I feel sad. I miss the old time. But I am happy too. I can avoid people easily. But do I really want this? Am I really out of place in this fast moving world? Changing oneself with time is a good thing, but what if it involves killing your true self completely? Am I ready for such a change? Is it worth doing so? 

Life. And many unanswered questions. And many unchallenged answers.

8 comments:

  1. I know, I feel old with all these worries.

    Neha Hadkar

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  2. Well said.
    The communication era caught up very fast in the last three decades.
    This evening I stumbled upon some unused Christmas cards in a box. My first thought was "aha, just in time, Christmas is round the corner" Then a thought struck me "when was the last time I send a card by post? If I send these by ordinary post, will it reach the people whom I want to wish?" . . . . . . Sigh

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  3. You are spot on when you say, 'You are easily reachable, but never available'. Such are the times we live in... sadly!

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  4. Being reachable and being available is the reason of breaking and disturbed relationships.
    It's a pity,in our anxiety of catching up with technology,we are missing out the real world.

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  5. "People are becoming more and more independent by being dependent on the technology." How true is that! Even when we step out to the local market, 'forgetting' the mobile back home is a big no! Times have indeed changed and so have we. Whether for the better or worse, is yet to be seen and assessed.

    On Blogger after ages, and good to read from you :)

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  6. What Albert Einstein said has become true

    I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.

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