Around three decades ago, a large sized black dial telephone used to magnify the splendor of houses.
A scooter was sufficient to carry the entire family, consisting of a husband, a wife and two kids.
There used to be one thick, black & white TV, which could broadcast only DD one programs, which too were watched attentively by its audience.
A job of hardly six to eight thousand rupees gave guarantee of financial secured life.
The life was slow and short of luxury, yet it was tranquil and offered an intense sense of contentment. Things have changed with the passage of time. Globalization, easy transportation means, Information Technology revolution, establishment of various new firms, quick flow of money in economy, invention of internet; smart phones have undoubtedly showed the way to effortless access to more money, immediate communication and ultimately luxurious life style.
We have power of information of the entire world only at the click of our finger tip, yet we are ignorant about the happenings of our neighborhood.
For the sake of saying, we might have a very strong social network consisting of thousands of people, yet we feel alone personally. We could not feel that level of gratification in a chilled can cold drink, which we could even in the plain water of earth pots earlier.
People tell that they desire for a simpler life, that they would like to return to a time when anxiety and strain of modern life were not there.
The reason of their stress is that they do not have much time for relaxation and also less purchasing capacity to more possessions.
The contemporary bustling activities as well as incessant growing necessities have cast an evil eye on their harmony.
They feel that they have not got the job which they always deserve. Besides, their present occupation gives them higher level of pressure and lower remuneration as per their capabilities. It is their core feeling that their friends are laughing all the way to the bank and hence leading a very comfortable life.
On social media, their friends’ status of spending wonderful holidays, purchasing new flats, bungalows, cars etc. ignite the flame of envy in a corner of their hearts, which in long term turns into overwhelming depression.
That comparison inadvertently becomes instrumental in the cause of their sadness as they feel they have been lagged behind in the race of materialization.
Many researchers have found that basically there are three causes of depression in the present-day era.
The first one is our entrenched belief that our savings account balance and fame are directly proportional to our happiness. Hence, we go on blindly in the accomplishment of these entities thereby ignoring the present trivial jolly moments.
The second one is our high expectations from life. When our fantasy shatters on the grounds of stark reality, we get hurt deeply from heart. Absence of personal touch in day to day life communication is another major reason for our anxiety.
In the virtual world of digital platform, many of our emotions could not get that attention, which they could have in real life contact.
Hence, it can be advised that it is better to go for earning money as well as fame but not to the detriment of enjoyment of present amusing moments.
We should not even miss the minutes of small delightedness in the search of big ones. Since, there might be only a few opportunities of bigger happiness, but there are countless moments of the smaller ones.
We should always keep high expectations from life and do not become complacent in realizing the same.
But at the same time, we also ought to believe in the policy “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst”. In case, we trim down the horizon of our requirements then we may feel better about ourselves.
We ought to share some quality time with our near and dear people as personal communication of facial expression, body language, and touch therapy can only gratify our emotional needs thereby maintaining our mental fitness. Perhaps, in that way we would be able to live simple and delightful lives like those of our ancestors in this modern life context too.
Amit Kumar
