All of us are leading pretty busy lives. Everyone complains that there is no time. Everyone is running around, doing a lot of things. Where does the day go? It seems that time is flying and we don’t know when we’ll find the time to do all that we need to do. Maybe there is some truth in all this.
I find that entertainment is the fastest growing industry along with social media. I thought entertainment was meant as a luxury, when people had free time. If entertainment is the fastest growing industry, obviously there are a lot of people watching it. There was a time when a movie night was a big deal. These days every night seems to be a movie night. Eight hundred plus channels on TV, Netflix and other OTTs along with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and whatnot. So, if people are spending time on all this, it is no wonder that the entertainment industry is growing fast. It is not a wonder that people think that there is no time. If my phone is on, which it usually is, I get WhatsApp messages at five o’clock in the morning and as late as one o’clock in the night. Naturally we are stressed out. We are sleep deprived. We have lifestyle diseases, hormonal imbalances. And there is of course, the great answer to all our problems — there is no time.
Where and when was the last time the family spent time together? Even if families are spending time together, most of them are busy looking at their phones. So, where is quality time together? One spiritual teacher rightly said, ‘If you’re going to do fasting in today’s world as a spiritual exercise, instead of not eating food remain away from your phones, from your emails, from social media and TV, for a 24-hour period.’ That will have a greater impact on people’s lives rather than just avoiding food. Avoiding food is also necessary because we do eat far more than necessary, contributing to obesity. We need to review our choices.
The writer is the founder of Aarsha Vidya Foundation. You can write to him at [email protected]
