I visited my hometown after 18 months of constant IT grilling. It always feels good to come back home, I get to eat all the tasty delights my Mom make for me.
I like the way people live here – simple and boring.
I always visit the nearby ground to play with my brother and friends.
But every coming year I see lesser and lesser people coming out of their houses in the morning (except for the older people). This makes me wonder – Is Technology Taking Life Away From The People.
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My Mornings 10 Years Ago
I vividly remember every moment when I use to wake up early at around 4:30 AM and then visiting every friend’s house to wake them up. And then together at around 5:15 AM, we all use to visit the Khamaria Groud for cricket.
We had to do this because if we did not reach early enough then we won’t get the place to play. And then we would have to settle with the Nalla ground (not so good or the left out one).
It used to be so crowded back then.
There were people of all age playing all sorts of sports ranging from football to cricket, athletes use to come and practice their running. And even the hockey players were common on that ground.
But over the past years, something has happened.
When I went to play today morning, I hardly saw 12-16 players playing cricket. This is a very unusual site because back then our team use to comprise of that many players but today the entire ground only has that many players.
I really did not feel good about the fact that the people (especially children) are not willing to go out in the morning to play sports. If there is such a drastic change in the trend then there must be something new that is causing it to happen.
I started wondering… is it the ever-advancing technology that is behind all this or is there something else.
Is Technology New For The Current Generation
If I try to look at this way then the only answer that comes to my mind is: NO, it is not new. In fact, it is the other way around.
Today I see kids carrying smartphones with them all the time. They are more towards making a chatty relationship with some stranger instead of actually going out and meet someone.
When I was of their age, I never use to sit in one place (except when I’m playing video games). I was always out playing sports or with friends. My mom used to pull me back in every time. And it was not because the technology was not accessible to me, but playing outside felt more joyous and kept me in a good mood.
I have always been a Tech Enthusiast. From an early age, I was exposed to computers and I remember playing games, making powerpoint presentations and helping others write letters or essays.
But all it took me to leave my house was this – Chal raha kya khelne. And I’ll be gone.
As the year passes by, lesser people are interested in the outside world, rather they are dipping deep into the virtual world.
So what is the reason behind this change?
Is Social Media Holding Them Back?
Probably… As this is a new edition that was not there 15 years back (Yeah we had Orkut but seriously, does it really count). And this is newer to us, not for the kids. They are being born in this era. The era of Facebook.
Don’t you think they would know better how to handle it than us?
As a matter of fact, they do. They can simultaneously talk to more than 4 people. This is commendable. And they do not care if the person on the other end lives or die tomorrow. Because they don’t really know the other person in real, its all based on the profile and words they see on the screen.
But one thing that might be affecting them is the time they are putting into doing this. Which takes us to the next related problem – Parenting.
Parenting Gone Wrong
When you keep asking the question to dig deeper, you reach at one point that cannot be denied – Parents.
Parents lay the foundation for their child to look at the world. They are the first lens through which kids see the world. And it is easy to figure out that parenting is something that has gone horribly wrong.
From a very young age, parents are using their smartphones to lure the attraction of their child so that they can make him/her stop crying.
Not far enough, I have seen the same happening to my relatives. They are using smartphones with Ninja Hattori playing on it while they feed their baby.
Sure it doesn’t seem to be a big deal but trust me it makes him addicted to the smartphones from a young age. Now the little one will only eat food if his favourite show is getting played on the device. Otherwise, it is very difficult to feed him.
Definitely, the root causes lie at the core – Parenting.
Now when I look back and compare, first of all, we did not have the smartphones back then.
Also, I think my parents never allowed me to sit in one place for more than an hour. They kicked me and asked me to go out and play. They use to put so much attention into me and what I’m doing with my time than their own stuff. That thing definitely annoyed me but when I look back now, I think that helped me a lot to better focus on the things that need to be done rather than wasting time on nothing.
Which is certainly missing in today’s parenting.
Is There A Way To Bring Back The Life In People
Definitely.
And the responsibility is on the parents. As they are the ones who are closest to their children.
They are the ones who can help them and guide them into a better path from the young age.
And once it is engraved into their behaviour then they would not require any external motivator to keep them motivated. They would do it by themselves.
Getting up early in the morning and moving your body is the best way to keep your body disease-free. Not only it benefits physically but also emotionally and mentally. You become sharp and gain better cognitive skills that enhance learning.
So if there are so many benefits in doing so little then everyone should do it religiously.
Let me know your views in the comments below.
You should have included the hardest thing that we adults found nowdays is to get up early and get our body moving.
Yeah… That is a good point.