The third miserable day of an unexpected viral infection has brought me here - to my very forgotten blog. This space has become like one of those old tennis racquets accumulating dust and cobwebs in the garage. And while so many of my friends continue to be regulars and their creative best at their travelogues, food blogs and trysts with different social issues, people and experiences, I go on about my moribund life vicariously living these lovely write ups and ignoring my instincts to pick up the pen, or these days, open my macbook.
And finally here I am. The only problem is - today any news item is so over written / over video-graphed, over tweeted and over-blogged about, that the issue loses its rawness to be interpreted and weaved into one's thoughts. Before you begin to form your own opinion about something that happened - something that's said / something that's written - you are marred with so many other points of view - it's hard not to get coloured by all the noise that's reaching you before the actual news. Let's be frank about it - today over facebook / twitter you read the reaction before you read about the actual news. Or on Youtube you see the spoof before you see the original. Maybe it's just us late risers - and we are checking out a particular song / news byte / monologue after the whole world has watched it and hated it and gone ahead and expressed their reactions to it.
So how do you really combat this - two ways to do - stay ahead of the game - install every app on your phone that sends you alerts on every fingernail thats lifted in the world. Let the world come to you and let you be the one breaking news at lunch to your colleagues. Let your phone ring incessantly while you browse every minute about the latest video Adele has put up and the latest faux pas Rahul Gandhi has committed. The flip side to this - you may be labelled a 'phubber' - you may be exposing yourself to high levels of stress, a shorter life, or even fewer friends.
The other way - shut out - restrict yourself to the good ol' methods of access to information. Filter out what you need to know and make peace with what you don't. Set aside time to seek information rather than the world coming to you. You may sometimes end up with nothing to offer at the coffee place but you may still have a well thought through, informed opinion about something that happened a week ago.
Where am I? Somewhere in between. But I know when to shut down - keep my phone on the side and have a real conversation. I have always learnt more by talking to people - they may be of all ages and different backgrounds. But I have always learnt more. This has never failed. My phone may bring the latest funny dog video to me - or even the latest update on the Orlando tragedy - or better still - what is being said about it. But I need to control when the information comes to me. Not the other way round.
And finally here I am. The only problem is - today any news item is so over written / over video-graphed, over tweeted and over-blogged about, that the issue loses its rawness to be interpreted and weaved into one's thoughts. Before you begin to form your own opinion about something that happened - something that's said / something that's written - you are marred with so many other points of view - it's hard not to get coloured by all the noise that's reaching you before the actual news. Let's be frank about it - today over facebook / twitter you read the reaction before you read about the actual news. Or on Youtube you see the spoof before you see the original. Maybe it's just us late risers - and we are checking out a particular song / news byte / monologue after the whole world has watched it and hated it and gone ahead and expressed their reactions to it.
So how do you really combat this - two ways to do - stay ahead of the game - install every app on your phone that sends you alerts on every fingernail thats lifted in the world. Let the world come to you and let you be the one breaking news at lunch to your colleagues. Let your phone ring incessantly while you browse every minute about the latest video Adele has put up and the latest faux pas Rahul Gandhi has committed. The flip side to this - you may be labelled a 'phubber' - you may be exposing yourself to high levels of stress, a shorter life, or even fewer friends.
The other way - shut out - restrict yourself to the good ol' methods of access to information. Filter out what you need to know and make peace with what you don't. Set aside time to seek information rather than the world coming to you. You may sometimes end up with nothing to offer at the coffee place but you may still have a well thought through, informed opinion about something that happened a week ago.
Where am I? Somewhere in between. But I know when to shut down - keep my phone on the side and have a real conversation. I have always learnt more by talking to people - they may be of all ages and different backgrounds. But I have always learnt more. This has never failed. My phone may bring the latest funny dog video to me - or even the latest update on the Orlando tragedy - or better still - what is being said about it. But I need to control when the information comes to me. Not the other way round.
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