Living through Gizmos

I grew-up with the only gizmos called “Radio” and “Gramophone”. Even they were not personal. One massive piece of wood and wires, called Radio, majestically sat on a well decorated stand, waiting for programmes to be aired every morning and evening. We listened to it while performing our daily chores. Gramophone was a mechanical device, which needed frequent winding and pin changing. Buying new vinyl records, each containing two songs – one on either side, was an event much awaited in the family. Special occasions and moods would bring gramophone out of its well-preserved case. Most of my childhood leisure time was spent outdoor, playing simple games with friends. Indoor too, we hardly spent lonely hours, except when studying. Games like Chess, Monopoly, Chinese Checker, Ludo, and Caram were always handy to choose from. Reading novels was perhaps the only act of leisure performed in privacy, though enriching the power of imagination. There was ample time between two working days to relax and unwind. We had plenty of time to pick morning dew drops from the tender flower petals and catch glow-worms in the night. Group discussion on current topics near a lamp post was a norm. Summer nights were spent under stars trying to connect them into meaningful shapes. Unannounced guests were always welcome. Every turn of season was celebrated and every festival was preceded with elaborate preparations and anticipations. Bedtime stories, though funny, were able to influence dreams. We experienced life first hand in the company of people and nature. We believed in the saying, “Necessity is the mother of Invention.” But, that was many decades ago.

Now, we are constantly wired to a variety of gizmos from morning to night, sometimes even during our sleep. We spend more time on face-book than talking face-to-face. We no longer remember names, numbers and addresses because we carry them in our mobiles. We have nearly forgotten how to write with a pen, as everything we write is digital. We do not walk to our work, we telecommute. Our homes are equipped with Wi-Fi and Fiber optics to power any imaginable gizmo. We no longer open real books; they are only a click away in the digital world. We play our favourite sports in virtual reality. We meet with friends and strangers in the cyber world. We do online shopping and get home delivery. We don’t have to visit any bank or service centre, as all transactions are done online. We don’t have to visit even sacred places, as their live pictures can be seen in the comfort of our homes round the clock.

One may conclude from the above that we have gained a lot of free time through these gizmos. But, in reality, we are busier than ever. We are now in the 24X7 service culture, where day does not differ from night. We are always struggling to meet deadlines. Everything should have been done yesterday. We are communicating all the time, but hardly connecting with anyone. There is no time to stand and stare. Is this the life we wished for ourselves?

In our school days, we were always asked to write essay on a topic, “Is Science a curse or a boon?” I guess this question is still relevant. The answer is simply, “It depends on us.” Human mind cannot be stifled. Its creative force will continue to invent new things. The onus is on the user who must decide what he wants to do with it. It is like a knife. A doctor can use it to save a life, while a killer can use it to take a life. Occasional unplugging, as advocated by Susan Maushart in her recently released book (The Winter of Our Disconnect), is not the solution. It may give temporary relief, but will ultimate cause suppression and frustration. The key is in striking a balance. We must ask what is it that we ultimately want to achieve in our lives and accordingly decide what is and what isn’t to be used. If you are in the business of intricate designing, weather forecasting or celestial modeling, do use virtual reality. But, why play golf in the virtual world? Nothing in the world is as important as our own mental serenity. There is no need to assume the responsibility of running the entire world. It is like a fly sitting on the spoke of a wheel and saying it makes the wheel move. No wonder, after the current economic downturn in US, people have realized the futility of living 24x7 culture and US government is considering to cap the maximum working hours in a day.

The following couplet, in slightly modified version, sums-up my thoughts:

“Dhoop mein niklo, Chandni mein naha kar dekho
Zindagi kya hai, Gizmo ko hata kar dekho.”

[Take a walk in the sun, have a shower in the moonlight

What is life, see after removing gizmo.]