Let's talk

.

Engrossed in our gadgets, we now find it intimidating to have a real chat.

A bunch of kids browsing their mobile phones

Words, words and more words. Not just feed, I feast on them. But communication today is being threatened and usurped by addictive, numbing and readily-available audio and visual entertainment. We just have got to do something about it.

Conversation is crucial. Be it a coming-back-from-school story session between a child and a parent, a sweet (and yet-to-become-bitter) têt-à-tête between lovers, a storytelling stretch between an indulgent grandparent and a little one or even an unabashed venting-out bout between friends, such exchanges are the lifeblood maintaining the essence and integrity of relationships.

It was only last weekend when I had gone for brunch, a hybrid meal meant for leisurely days, that I distinctly noticed one thing - people were hardly talking!

They were immersed in their gadgets. Shockingly, even children (at least one in all but a few tables) were using a virtual portal to shun the fun and prattle of mealtime to belong to a world where they were mere recipients. The existing present was unintentionally sacrificed at the altar of the make-believe, non-existent time.

Indeed, the colour, texture, and potency of words are no longer felt and the ingenuity of a human bond seems to be a thing of the past. “What do I talk about?” is a question that haunts even a freshly-brewing mind that seamlessly connects with the implicit world but finds it intimidating to embrace the real one. Is a new form of hikikomori rearing up its head? I dare not.

Where have the daily dinner-table talks disappeared? The brainstorming among buddies left behind? Into which void have the fertile formulations fizzled out? These are not questions. They are threats, to say the least.

Even children shun the fun and prattle of mealtime for a world where they are mere recipients.

The threat of social extinction looms large. An individual prefers to cocoon himself within his created boundaries. Establishing connections is neither preferred nor needed. He is a miser for words. Isolation is the most eminent by-product. The end result is more appalling. A crushing defeat of humanity. Invented by humans and implemented too.

So people…..let's log out of the ‘i’ and look deep into the ‘I’. Let’s do something for our imperishable planet alongside the perishable one. Splurge your thoughts and let us discover easy ways to ignite, sustain and thrive through meaningful talks.

By: Promita Banerjee Nag

Disclaimer:
This article and the opinions expressed in it are personal opinions. It is not meant for imposing specific views or endorsing a particular way of life. Also please do ignore any errors or omissions that you might come across. We pledge to learn from them. Happy viewing.

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