Have you ever wondered!

When I was a kid I still remember, our relatives (periyappa or athai or mama, uncles and aunts, different ones as I have many) used to just show up with no prior communications, when we are eating or doing this or that. I wonder how they were so sure we would be at home, but of course my parents hardly travelled but even then they just assumed you would be there.  Those were the days when we did not even have a landline phone at our house.  

My dad took his own sweet time to get us a telephone. Only when I left for U.S he felt the need.  He was always of the firm opinion me and my siblings would use the phone too much and wouldn’t study properly.  Our academics were given no. 1 importance, no. 2 academics, no. 3 academics and up to infinity… Now you know why I am not so good at sports :-)

From the days, when phones were a luxury, it changed to be a normal thing, then it became a necessity, then absolute necessity and now I feel it almost is an addiction for many.

Maxime's Temple Run highest score

The other day I saw the maid in our apartment sweeping the common area floor with a broom in one hand and the other hand was busy holding a cell phone.  

This is of course not so weird for my Canadian hubby who grew up with phones from his cradle :-). He can sometime play a video game when he is refilling the water container from the refrigerator filter. 

After the major usage of phones, personal meetings became a bit less and now after Facebook, Skype and other technologies it’s almost close to zero.  

In the future I wonder whether parents will talk to kids, spouses to one another through Facetime from one room to the other. (In the West I am sure they are already doing this!)  Everyone wants space these days.

Facetime : San Diego - Chennai

When I grew up I did not have a room for myself, but now kids do.  The other day I heard my 4 1/2 years old niece telling, “this is my room, you shouldn’t come”.  When I grew up, playing meant playing in the street like physical games, now playing means video games on computers or mobiles.  And not to mention other adverse effects on people and society, free porn over the Internet, a big selfish industry thriving on this.

Those days if a baby is born in the family or for your friends, the idea is to go visit them and see the baby and family personally. Now you don't even think you need to go and see, it’s already on Facebook the next minute.  Then the intention to see personally doesn't even arise! We know everyone's life only from Facebook, not even a personal phone call is necessary.

Where are we headed!  I hear lots of people go into depression in Japan because they don’t socialize enough or socialize at all.  No matter how good a technology is, it cannot replace personal touch.  Yes it wasn’t easy for my Mom or for us when relatives used to show up uninformed, but it was still nice, a sweet shock or surprise.  It expands our horizon and stretches our comfort zone! 

No matter how good an image of ice cream appears on the Internet, you cannot eat it from there. No matter how beautiful a house that you want to buy looks in a picture, you still have to go in person to see it.  I am glad technology has its limitations!

India is a bit better than the Western world for that, but we are still catching onto their lifestyle, a tendency that has to be reversed.

What do you say!