Ok, so looks like I have no escape from finally writing a Blog of my own :)
First thing I did was to look up the meaning of the word Blog, "A shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies" it said. Hmmm... online diary? Naah not for me ha ha
I'm one of those who have actually witnessed the computer revolution in India and I often think about how drastically different my lifestyle is today from what it was about 15 years ago. At that time, a mobile phone was just a rumor that we kids used to make wishes about, saying "just imagine, if someday we could carry our phone everywhere with us!". Official letters used to be hand written, or typed out on the type writer in some assorted shop with a proud man or woman showing off his or her speed at typing. Letters to friends and family used to be written out with pen on paper (i must say my handwriting was much better then, now the only writing i do is on the cab trip sheets lol) and used to take 15 days to reach them. And then the waiting for a reply, but what joy when the postman would finally stop by our house to deliver that letter we were so eagerly waiting for :D. Our parents had jobs that got them home at 6 o clock and after that all in the family would gather for tea and talk, talk and talk about all the things in the world, with no mobiles phones to distract us.
Then i remember the day that we got my first computer at home, a pentium 1, 233 MHz with a 4GB hard drive, Man! It was the most precious possession in my life. With a 4kbps internet connection through the modem, i suddenly felt the world was at my very feet. I could reach anything and anyone in seconds. no longer did I have to wait for a month to get a reply from a friend or cousin. It was heaven! And also, I could work on C, C++ and all the other things from my curriculum, what else did I need! :) :) And so began my journey into the virtual world. The CPU and internet speeds increased and so did the hard drive space and so did my expertise in this world. Today, we share desktops over communicator and work with teammates who are oceans across, as if they were sitting right beside us. All this was just a dream at one time! But I've seen this dream slowly becoming a reality and today it seems like we have always lived like this. It is such an addiction today to be online and connected with the world all the time.
But, one day I suddenly realized that we no longer sit together for tea at home and talk and laugh like before. I suddenly realized that my parents have been calling my name while they were having tea, but i just could not hear them anymore, because i was so busy chatting with my friends from across the world, some friends i had never even met, friends who we add to our facebook just to increase our friends count. Well! what the hell was i doing!!! I had been giving up the time that the real people in my life - my family - deserved, for people who are actually unreal, only existing in chats or mails. My family was not happy as it used to be before and yes, I think I was to blame.
Well, from that day, I decided to force myself away from the virtual world. Although its not totally possible to do so, but I am making it a constant effort. I am getting back the smile on my parents' faces and that is all that really matters to me :)
And here's wishing happiness to everyone of you!
so true.. I was a kid 15 years ago, I used to wait eagerly for the postman during Diwali, New year, Christmas, for that was when my family used to receive greeting cards from all over. And we too did the same, trying to buy the nicest greeting cards to be sent to them on such occasions. :)
ReplyDeleteI must also say, the Only constant in the world is Change.. We have moved leaps and bounds. but we do need to make time for ourselves and for those that care about us the most.