History is testimony to how human behaviour has shaped the world over the centuries. The times and the environment we live in greatly impact our behaviour as well as our lives. Having said that, the last decade has witnessed a huge transformation in human behaviour and I attribute it to the advent of technology.

The advancement in technology has led to a boom in the world of social media and communication. The open spaces in our mind have been largely occupied by the Internet. The idea of contemplation and thrill of seeking answers have been replaced by the chatter of the keyboard for ready information on Google and Yahoo.

Forwards have become the latest fad today as against originality. To sum it all, I call it the ‘wired grid’. The transformation has altered the way we speak, think and act and yet it has remained ingenuously veiled and subtle. And the irony is that the current generation has accepted this ignominious change.

There’s little doubt that technology has numerous advantages. It has brought the world closer for us and made us connect with those who are miles away in distance. Our daily tasks have become planned and convenient. In spite of all this, the new generation on the whole has become less patient and is living a frenzied pace of life.

Let me illustrate this with an example. My young neighbour here in India as well as my daughter who lives in Hong Kong not only share the flat number ‘4’ but their daily routines and lifestyles. Both share the same 8-to-8 work schedule that includes rushed mornings with breakfast in hand, hurried goodbyes and working late on the dinner table. Everything is urgent and every minute counts for them. There’s an urgency in saving even that fraction of a second that takes one to write a word; so a ‘because’ has been changed to ‘cuz’.

Handed down from their parents, the ethos of schedule and speed has penetrated the subconscious minds of the young. This makes me recall my childhood days when I used to live in Poona. I walked home from school and meandered through the alleyways and streets watching squirrels and chasing butterflies. I realise that such carefree moments will never be experienced by the new-fangled generation.

Living life in the fast lane, I wonder if creativity is being threatened (or completely lost) by the wired world. I wish to recover what has been lost. I wish to live in a simple, slow and wire-free world.

—Brigadier P K Chakravarti, Bengaluru

Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
November 2018