Get Liberated!

I sometimes wonder how life must've been for the people who dwelled in caves... I guess a pretty simple one, hopping off place to place. Nomads, as some might refer them to as. Life must have been pretty chill compared to today's insane, complex version. 

Today even a person without a stable internet connection who isn't active in the 'virtual' world is considered more of a social outcast. Of course this holds true for people only who live in fairly civilised & developed areas, but considering the current stats, it's safe to say more or less everyone has access to cell phones & consequently internet. Also free desktops/laptops (if you belong to Goa) Courtesy: Govt. of Goa's digital scheme.

Perhaps, life decided to give me a practical taste of it rather than just pondering about it. So I had it as fate would have wanted. Desktop, Laptop, Mobile all screwed up in a series of succession. My peers termed it to be "saade-saati" or bad omen probably because life revolves around it. But I didn't find it that big a deal because I've hated the fact that human bond has been over taken by digital connect & thus had profound enmity towards this change. Albeit soon I realised how digital exclusivity actually works per say karma (I used to curse all devices). This sudden alienation made me cocoon back to a smaller, 'finite' world and obviously the initial helplessness and agony. That's the time it hit me hard that how unknowingly we're so involved in our devices (more than our families and girlfriends) & extremely dependent. Independence is a myth, my friend. That's how begins my phase of Life Unplugged (sounds good for a novel title, eh?).

I was initially restless as there was literally nothing to do around... at least that's what my brain thought. You can imagine how it must've been. Even more heart-wrenching cause I was so caught up with Pokemon-go. We're in so deep shit with this technology. But gradually as days passed, it occurred to me that I have been spending more time with my family now, more engrossed in admiring the little things around me and giving my complete attention to the person I converse with (rather than intermittently checking the phone uselessly). Even though I'm not a fan of daily soaps, I made it a point to catch at least one of it with my parents everyday. It gave me so much of insight as in why they watch these TV shows besides the entertainment value. Probably because we're too busy in our own fancy universe and shun ourselves from sharing stuff with them and when we do, we dig our face in the phone. The past one week I've had such healthy and amazing conversations with them, that it is hard to believe their level of perceiving things and world is something phenomenal. We always shallow talk because we're pre-occupied with our digital halves, chuck it off and you'll have the most beautiful, meaningful conversations with them. I have been going out for late night drives, long walks on the beach, chitchatting unendingly with peers, everything which is so real and there is no artificial touch to it. There is a certain liberation which we achieve in breaking these shackles of tech. Embrace it.

One of the most significant thing which happens during this phase is you start sketching out the friends, who are in touch despite you reaching to a planet unknown to them. We often fail to remember that we built medium like messenger as only a 'medium' to stay connected & not the purpose for being connected. I heard a lot of "Where have you been these days? You weren't online so I didn't drop you a text." With that said, people who wish to be in touch, stay connected irrespective of the means to achieve it. These special jerks might even call you or SMS you (it's pretty rare in this generation of instant messengers) to ask silly things like if "you're alive or dead?"; these are my favourite peeps. The best ways are often debarred from technology, a personal touch to it is so heart warming. There's real interest brewing when two people devoid of such gizmos talk, the energy flow is real and high. Such a joy to be the way it has always been before the mania called smartphone bug hit us and let to our doom.

It's really a privilege to live life so uncluttered and not dominated by robots (only Sheldon can dream of and love being ruled by robots). So once a week, we can all give this a try and see the change. A day without any techno nuisance & an attempt to relapse back to our roots.

So Get Liberated. Nirvana ! (yes I copied that from a tee manufacturing brand)

P.S.: I wrote this at my work-place and that's all the minimal time I'm getting at doing away work on internet. 

P.P.S.: Also this is not a post-break up gig, as some of you smart asses might speculate. I'm not this filmy. I shall be back sooner or later to the old, boring way of 'being online' as and when Motorola wants me to.

Till then adios amigos!