Gone are the days, when one was only having the demure landline phone, the television and a radio in the name of gadgets at home!
I think I am talking of ages back, of nearly half a century ago. Now, in these modern times we seem to be piled up with tons and tons of gadgets, which occupy every nook and corner of our homes and our lives. Whether it is the ultra modern LED smart TV, or the savvy mobile phones, swish music systems, kitchen galdgets and a end number of things which cannot even be counted on your fingers!
The number gadgets in a home varies from house to house, depending upon the requirements and the finacial status of each of them.But, even in the most ordinary families, all their family members, are having at least one mobile phone each, even in the poorest of families. I find vegetable vendors having video calls with their families in their villages, from their mobile phones! Its not only surprising, but heartening to see them do it, as, now they feel closer to their families, from whom they are away since months.The vegetable vendor or kabadi taking calls from one and one and all, depending on the mobile phones to take orders and manage their business with elan!For them mobiles are a boon, but I would like to project the evils of a mobile phone within a family.
Mobiles are a boon as well as curse for humanity. Last month I was on a holiday and when I was in the dining hall. I suddenly heard excited talk of a man on the neighbouring table, talking excitedly on the mobile phone, on a video chat with his little girl and he seemed so delighted and beside himself with joy, that it cannot be expressed in words! Then on another table a young Mom was sitting wwith her little girls , waiting for her husband, again with a phone in front of her little girls with a kid video running on it. the girls were totally immersed in it and naturally, if that wasnt there, they would have been running around the area screaming and being naughty and creating a ruckus!
A mobile is now creating ruckus in family lives and creating barriers, which are difficult to fathom. An absolutely normal family, who are otherwise quite happy, go out for a dinner or coffee, and what do you see, each one of the family members are sitting immersed in their phones, after they have ordered food!I want to ask you a simple question, as to why were they out for dinner in the first place! They were out to spend exclusive time with each other and this is how they spend time, with their minds totally immersed in their phones! This is where cracks of lack of communication sets in. Its totally upto the family who have to take it upon themselves to disccard their phones at least for that one or two hours when they are out together.
Barriers are formed , when they are allowed to be formed and not only family members, but friends also, realise that phones are creating walls between them. There used to be days when family time was valued and families spent quality time together after dinner, by chattering and discussing about the day, in that way family bonds remained strong. But now, families are literally scattered into pieces, with each doing their own, in their own rooms. either on phones, or laptops. technology and gadgets have been made to make mans's life easier, but it was not meant to destroy it!
A wise person should understand , how to control the usage of these gadgets, though it is difficult, with grown up kids, but if a drawing line is set, then each person will know where to stop and create a balance between family time and usage of these gadgets.
Mostly in urban homes the gleeful laughter and the joy of living together is now dimishing at a fast pace and people are entangled in the world of gadgets, either their phones, laptops, the social media and basically the world created by internet. The internet was not created to destroy the human to human touch and bonds of communication. It was created , so that knowledge could be shared, to shorten work tasks and end number of other things, but now it has seeped into our lives in such a way that there is no looking back!
All of us. infact each and everyone should make a conscious effort to disentangle ourselves, from the barriers that we have created around us and set ourselves free from the dependence on gadgets and try to enjoy the company of our close ones and be happy in their laughter, rather than the beep of a Whatsapp message! Life is short and our families are the most precious to us, one should value the time together and flush out the influences of gadgets to the bare minimum and enjoy the company of the family and enjoy a fulfilled and complete life.
When I am trying to fathom the effect of these gadgets, I am feeling like as though I am caught in a swamp, which is so deep, piled with so many layers of influences of the internet, that I feel I am caught , and I can never free myself out of it ever.The social media, the constant beeping of Whatsapp messages, the television remaining on the whole day and so many minute as well as strong influences, are now so deeply set in our lives, that we fail to understand as to how we will sieve out their effect and try to get back to the human touch and try to get back to our normal lives.
It is difficult no doublt, but a strong resolve and a desire to create a balance between the family and the gadgets, would ultimately bring the results. But this can happen,when the family realise that they are mssing something.
We are no doubt entangled in a world of gadgets and the internet, but if we retain our sanity and understand how to create boundaries and know our limitations with their usage, then it would not be difficult to live a happy and content life. A conscious and calculated effort is required and results will certainly be gratifying, not only for the family, but each individual as well.
