Seeking Self-Exile From Society
Dec 30, 2024
I often visit my farm on Saturdays, as it serves as a resort too. On Saturdays, there are many guests at the resort. While many guests nicely interact, a few of them are arrogant. I have observed this not at our place alone but at many hotels and resorts where weekend crowds are thick. I often wonder why people behave arrogantly in public places especially when they receive good services. It seems, when people are out, they expect value for what they spend. If they pay some, they often feel entitled to receive even more. They also tend to make unnecessary noise, which I find illogical. I never understand why they offload their frustrations from work and home onto others. We humans do this both knowingly and unknowingly.
Additionally, there is a new trend where families, friends, and couples go out for holidays, but sometimes it feels like they are just putting on a show of togetherness while being at odds with each other.
Recently, while sitting in a restaurant, I noticed a cute couple. The cute couple also had a lovely child and a caretaker with them. What caught my attention was that they treated their caretaker as an equal; she ate with them and chatted with them. However, the lady was sitting separately, looking at her mobile the entire time. After they finished their meal, she didn’t even glance up for a second. Interestingly, most of the people who visit our farm love to spend quality time with nature. There is a beautiful river with a steady water flow throughout the seasons. Along with it, manmade forests, many cows and vegetation attract visitors. Unfortunately, this couple didn’t even look back at the natural beauty around them.
The next morning, I saw the caretaker with the child and the father, while the lady was still not paying attention. They came and enjoyed their breakfast, but after an hour, the lady came up, still glued to her mobile, not looking at anything around her, including the service staff or the buffet. She ate whatever was ready before her and left without looking elsewhere. They checked out shortly after. Despite having a child, she showed no attention to him, and both parents had no interaction with each other. Please don’t judge me for judging them.
Such behaviour is not limited to this couple; it seems to be a common trend. Almost everyone is too busy to chat with friends and family but readily shares their feelings with unknown people through social media. They open up to chatbots without knowing whether they interact with a real human or an illusion. Why does this happen? I have no answer, but perhaps the comfort of anonymity and the absence of judgment play a role. However, this comfort can lead to a lack of meaningful discussion.
The realms of human social life are shrinking. Had we given more attention to the overpowering or excessive use of mobile devices, this could have been prevented. Unfortunately, we have opened all doors to technology and fallen into the trap of social media, which often misguides us. We have allowed our children to spoil their minds by using mobile devices from an early age, and our education system has supported this trend. It is a crime against our children.
Now, we find ourselves trapped, much like the girl I saw in the restaurant. If we look at everyone, including ourselves, we are all on the same page, seeking what we are not getting. In the end, we gain nothing and lose our peace of mind, ultimately harming ourselves.
SAJIKUMAR
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