Back in the '90s, we had real-life fun playing with our classmates, neighbourhood friends, and even with strangers without being too judgemental. We used to have real-life actions and practices.
But, today, I don't notice such spirits; wild and crazy from every aspect. Our younger ones nowadays love to remain confined to their rooms. They only feel the urge to go outside when there is no electricity or the internet connection is down. The primary distinction between the new generation and the older one lies here.
Some calls this generation by the advanced minds. Yes, they deserve the title. Today even a schoolboy has the technological expertise second to none comparing to his ancestors.
However, this is the outcome of technological aggression and mass availability which was way too rare at our time. It's not like I'm accusing technological innovation by any means, but, I must confess, our dependency on this new trait is drawing a clear line between us and our offsprings in terms of attitudes, characteristics, and behaviours.
To some extent, we are also bathing in the benefit of this innovative development. But, we have the chance to compare it with our past life and to that of the present while our new generation barely gets a clue when we talk about forests filled with wilderness. Today, they know the optimal size of a mobile screen for a particular game but don't have an idea what it feels like to play football in an open field during monsoons.
What to say, even the little one at home who is supposed to read rhymes from the book; learns them from YouTube instead with a lot of fun. While we were satisfied with the plain arts and graphics adjoined to the texts in a book, now our little ones barely like the graphics vibrant in colours even in their tablets. They want more. Actually, they don't know what they want, which, in fact, is a great thing, I assume; as it strives for more and eventually facilitates creativity and newer innovation.
Anyway, a few days ago I wrote about how YouTube has kept our new generation away from the ups and downs of the real world and the surrounding environment.
Sometimes I think of turning the net connection off. But, in vain. After a while, I have to turn it on again myself, otherwise, survival becomes challenging.
However, our generation is missing all the fun we had back in our time. But, are they really missing it? How come they miss a thing that they never had or experienced? Actually, it's us who are missing our pasts and while our social demands are keeping us occupied, our minds are still ready to go back to that wilderness.
We won't possibly accept the reality of the virtual world as our new generation does.
In fact, are they really real? How is it? That too is virtual, there is no real man, there is a virtual form of him made of innumerable pixels.
Is there any real person in this form?
At the end of the day, we actually have to deal with fake people. Now it takes a lot to get the company of real people.
So we feel more comfortable with it. And if you don't, then you too, will just end up shouting without an attainable cause.
I understand some of what it feels like to miss the past. I am still considerably young but I was fortunate to enjoy a little bit of what my ancestors enjoyed and sometimes I miss it.
I see the newer generation and sometimes I wonder how confusing and boring it must be to grow up in this time.
Like I pointed above, you can't be bored when you don't know what fun you are missing out there.