Some time back we were on our way to Manali, a beautiful hill station in North India. The fresh and cool morning breeze awoke me from my slumber. I was enamoured by the picturesque locales .Soon the driver stopped the bus at a roadside café for a quick bite and tea. We all got off the bus, stretching our weary body from the nights travel, went on to freshen up and grab a quick bite. The view of the valley from there was breathtakingly beautiful. We ordered for some tea and sat down to savour the cool breeze and watching the kaleidoscope of colours painting the sky from tones of grey to pink and then bright crimson, as if rolling out a red carpet for the sun to make a grand entry. There was a nip in the air, sounds of the birds chirping, wild bright mountain flowers swaying to the breeze, butterflies fluttering by……it was picture perfect in the lap of nature.
Looking around at my fellow passengers also waiting for their breakfast to arrive, I was surprised to see that except for a couple of people, most others were glued to their phones. I thought to myself, “Haven’t they come here to be away from the hectic hustle bustle of city life? So instead of soaking in every breath of the beauty of nature, why are they still glaring at their phone? “The sheer idea of coming out on a holiday, I felt was defeated.
It set me thinking……Are we becoming a generation of cell phone addicts?
Have we got ourselves embroiled in a technological mess? Yes I fully concur that technology has made our lives far easier but, it has also made us its slaves. Be it at a restaurant, movie theatre, hospital, bus stop, traffic light or any other place, it is very common to find people staring into their phone. Their lives are totally wired 24/7. Emails, gaming, chatting, shopping you name it, all are constantly hooked on to it.
Friends giving updates about every second of their life and posting it online, people living in the same house yet having only virtual conversations.…..don’t you think that it is an alarming trend? Have you observed that people feel incoherent without their phones?
We have enough research to validate the ill effects of excessive use of phones. Not only adults but children too have been caught in its web. It is a worldwide phenomenon, not just restricted to our country. We have become zombies with a phone in our hands.
Time has been a witness that any resource or invention, when used beyond its limit has negative repercussions. To have a life filled with love and warmth of people, we need to draw a line on our usage of the phone.
Let’s follow the motto of “Disconnect to connect” to make our life more meaningful and complete.
A penny for your thought: “Can you stay without your phone at least for a day?”
Would love to know…….
Indeed, manali is beautiful place.
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Yes, very picturesque and beautiful!
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Beautiful essay with amazing imagery. I am not addicted to my phone at all. In fact, I use a basic phone to communicate. I find mobiles a major distraction, but I can understand it is also a necessity.
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Thanks Amitav. Good to hear that you use your phone for the right purpose. Allowing it to take control of life is a scary trend I am seeing among the youngsters.
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Very correct! I used to think about this. It’s really scary when thinking about the next gen!
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Yes, it is !
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you visit Manali. write very bautifully abut natural beauty of Manali.
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Manali is a very scenic place. Thank you Daneel.
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Welcome Radhika, Earlier i am also visit Manali. It is very beautiful place.
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You’re absolutely right! Its become addiction for us. To answer your question from the readers, I one spent an entire 5 months away from phones, tv and comps (actually i did use the comp but only to read books, not to connect). I had the most wonderful time being oblivious to the world. I even wrote about the experience in a post titled – Wireless. This is the link to it https://thepraditachronicles.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/wireless/
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It’s heartening to know that people are consiously trying to stay away from gadgets. More happy that you enjoyed your time with yourself. While we can’t deny it’s necessity, it is important to draw a line on the time we spend with it.
Will definitely read your post Pradita. Thanks so much for your input😊
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You’re welcome 😊 😊
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Turns out I had read this and commented too. Ha ha! But its a very well written and though provoking article. Great work!
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Gee……Well sorry for that.🙃
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Hey its alright. No need for sorries here 😊
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🤗💖
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😊😉😍❣️
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Wow…very beautifuly explained and expressed …:)
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Thank you Rohit 🙂
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Great 👍 and I too agree wholeheartedly with your beautiful words Rajni. We all have become technology crazy and have completely forgotten what it is to enjoy life. 👌👌👌👌👌
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Thank you Kamal. Crazy and zombies in the hands of technology, I feel. There is a beautiful life beyond gadgets. I hope people see and feel it too.
Btw, the name is Radhika!😊
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Sorry wrote Rajni by mistake radhi.
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🙂
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DISCONNECT TO CONNECT. is a slogan for the generation. It is an eye opener to all who “turn a blind eye ” to the beauty of the world around.
Extremely topical blog……..
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Thanks Dad 😊💙
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👌👌
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😊😊
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Today’s life has become more fast than than the our life 10 years …human life is improving day by day…with a smart phone you can do instant communication with people very far away from you ..Internet banking , ticket booking for travel ,shopping ,money translations etc have become more easy …it has become a necessity nowadays rather than luxury …so the gen-next can’t imagine life whitout a smart mobile phone …but at the same time I would like to say overuse of smart phone has illeffects too …it’s totally dependent on us as how far we are getting involved and victimised …have a nice day dear Radhika Di
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Well said Kiran. While there is no denying of the fact that a smart phone is a necessity, the question is for long are you hooked on it? I have seen people who are totally lost without their phone. Use it judiciously is my mantra.😊
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I love your description of the scenery, I certainly would have let go of my phone. My father can’t quite get it; he sees 2 persons having a coffee together and yet both are “talking” to someone else on their phones. I feel sorry for the newer generations for it feels like rather than getting a pacifier or some parental love they more and more get a screen of sort. I often stay off my phone several days in a row, I believe it is good for the mind and the soul. But deep down, I believe it is very much up to each of us to decide how to use technology.
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Absolutely Belle. Sitting together yet having virtual conversation is taking it a bit too far. But that unfortunately is the story with many. Like you said it is ultimately up to us how we want to use it. But I do hope people realise how beautiful the world is outside of their phones. Thanks so much Belle for you feedback 😊
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I very much hope so too Radhika 🙂
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The title in itself is very captivating and sum-up of all. I loved it. 😀
And as far as staying ALIVE without phone is concerned, I would say I will be perfectly fine living my life without that device in my life for days (anything ranging from one to three, maybe 😉 )
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Haha. Thanks Aditi. Glad to know that many of my blogger friends can live without their phones. I hope I am right in being optimistic that the phony affair is not so strong after all 😉😉. Hope that this trend continues 😊😊
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Actually.😃
I believe as we grow older, we do realize how often and how much time we should dedicate to our gadgets.
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👍😊😊
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You brought up a very important topic here Radhika. Fortunately no one in our home is phone addict. When we are at home my chatter box, talk non stop and we enjoy each other’s company. Almost all groups on whats app are annoyed with me for not opening msgs to read.
I use only wi-fi of my home so every time we go out we enjoy the outing.
Yes its very scary to see today’s generation to disconnect from real and connecting to lifeless phones.
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That’s wonderful to know Meenakshi. I think only the younger generation is totally glued to their phones. I too am a very poor contributer to the various WhatsApp groups. Glad that your family has actual conversations and not virtual 😊😊
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Always! Your post made me happy to know that I’m not only alien on this planet not responding to these platforms!
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👍😊❤
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Loved your motto. And yes, i tried that in between…seems it should be made a routine
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Yes and I am sure you will enjoy it too 😊😊
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Lovely writing Radhika.
To answer the question you asked, I would trade the current lifestyle with the lifestyle of our childhood, anyday and enjoy the banter between siblings and the great family time that we used to have….
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Definitely, I am with you on this. Those family times, chitchat, fun times is missing today. Little kids too are addicted to playing games in the phone which is truly alarming.
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Sad, but true 😑
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True, it is scary to see people in that world. We switch on the modem only when we want to connect to the internet, and for the phone too. I don’t want to get too involved in that world of the internet. Regards
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That is a very good way of keeping away from spending hours together on the net. Thank you so much for dropping by Mukhamani 🙂
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I totally agree with you Radhika! We miss out on the most important moments of the day owing to being addicted to the cell phone!
You’ve expressed your experience beautifully 🙂
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Thank you dear Divya 😊
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Firstly, loved the beautiful description of that little spot amidst nature’s bounty, I was there feeling the cool breeze and beauty of that place. You are so absolutely right about disconnecting to connect. Recently, I heard that a small family of four communicate with each other using Whatsapp simply because they are just too busy to talk to one another. Pushing the limits of technology is doing more harm than good, turning us into ‘zombies’ as you have aptly termed it. It is better to realize this sooner than never!
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Omg, I am shocked to read this bit about the family. They miss out on all the warmth and love a family shares. I sincerely hope people get more aware of the harmful effects of overusing their gadgets.
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This is the same thought that crossed my mind too. Not all the work in this world can get you busy enough to excuse you from spending some valuable time with your own family, that too while living under the same roof.
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Agree 100% !
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I think the elderly lot..(all of us included..can perhaps manage)… Pose this query to the kids today… and perhaps the world would end…
Thought provoking article for all gens 🙂
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Yes, they feel like fish out of water without the wifi connectivity 🙂😉
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I believe I can stay without gadgets for several days. It’s not a life or death matter 🙂
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That’s wonderful Jacqueline. I do hope more people specially the youngsters too follow this practice to lead a more connected ( with people) life!
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I hope so too.
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Sure I can Radhika and a resounding yes when I am in nature’s bounty …nothing in the world matters more than enjoying and savouring the beauty of the creator ..loved the connect with creator!
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Exactly my point Sunita. I am glad that you do not allow the phone to come in between you and nature 😊, except probably for clicking a few beautiful captures😉
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Not even that I like to soak in the glory and not allow anthing to come in berween
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Lovely! What better way to capture the scenic trails than in your mind 😊😊
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Completely agree with you on this. The umpteen updates on Facebook sometimes gets onto the nerves…the phone has become kind of an addiction.
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Unfortunately that is the what I see all around me!
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Nice post! I can definitely unplug from the world for a day. We pick up our phones out of habit sometimes — even when we aren’t getting notifications.
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Very correct Michelle. Many of us do it more out of a habit. That’s why I have muted the notification beeps in my phone. Thanks so much for stopping by 😊
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I work at sea and there usually isnt any cell phone connectivity. The wifi too is terrible and on a good day you can get a few messages across. This has turned my cell phone into a glorified alarm clock. I am so glad that i dont have this addiction of checking my phone every now and then. This may be the greatest blessing of my job and i am happy that I’m not a slave to technology.
Loved this post and the message.
Nice to visit your blog.
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Life at the sea must be quite tough. Haha, I liked the part where you mentioned your phone to be an alarm clock. Glad that you are away from the cell phone addiction syndrome. I am sure life will be far more beautiful without it always snooping around.
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Putting off my phone for a week? Just thinking about it makes me cringe already, haha.
So true. Genuine, deeply-rooted and lasting connections are made at a personal and face-to-face level.
Great post, Radhika!
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Absolutely Andrei. The face to face connect is what I miss these days. Most people are always so glued to their phones all the time. I wonder how we managed so beautiful before they invaded our lives!!
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Hahaha, admittedly, I’m guilty about that, however I am a firm believer on the magic of establishing real connections. Technological advances in social media are still far off to be a substitute for that.
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Thumps up to that!
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Very true!! Mobiles are real disconnecting tool.
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Though they connect us to the outside world, they disconnect us from our family members!
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I am sure its a lovely place cant wait to go there…
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Yes! Beautiful indeed!!
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