The technological revolution has further ensured that the tools designed for entertaining people have only served to alienate them
True to Murphy’s Law that anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time; the other day, in the midst of a popular programme, our TV suddenly went blank. We could hear the sounds in the background, but no pictures.
On complaining, our dealer informed us that he had contacted the service centre and a technician would arrive the next day to attend to the complaint. He attributed it to some moisture problem and said that it would be taken care of promptly.
Our TV set is a few years old and no longer under warranty. Dreading that a repair or replacement of any part of the Smart TV would cost us a bomb, we apprehensively awaited the ‘assessment verdict’.
After a thorough inspection of the set the next day, we were informed by the service personnel that the display panel of the TV had conked off and would require to be replaced. There was no scope for any sort of repair. Weighing all other options, we finally decided on getting a new display panel for the TV, the princely sum notwithstanding.
The TV technician further informed us that the part had to be ordered and would take some time for delivery. Hence we would have to manage a few days without the comforts of a TV set providing us lively entertainment.
With the Olympics and the Cricket series with Sri Lanka poised to take off in a few days’ time, we were definitely in for some miserable time; not to speak of the other regular serials which my wife just couldn’t, in the normal course, think of missing.
Well, all that would have to be put on hold for some time now!
But, for us though, with no means of entertainment; that night was not anything less than a spell of a few torturing hours of staring into vacant space, listening to the falling rains before finally retiring to the cosy confines of our bedroom, totally bored.
That is when my better-half hit upon this brilliant idea of watching all her serials and the upcoming sporting events on her mobile! The smartphone experience would definitely be no match for viewing programmes on the TV screen, but then it had to suffice for now.
It is said that moments of solitude induces a person into the joys of contemplation.
But how does this loneliness come about! That’s precisely the crux of this whole thought.
In this stage of development in the modern world where scientific inventions and technological advances have brought us to the threshold of an innovative era that has gadgets and devices playing an important part in our daily lives, the absence of any one will be sorely felt, as it has the potential to disturb our peace of mind.
As in our case for instance, the repair of our TV set has spelt that ‘mournful’ period where our dependence on an electronic device to entertain us has taken precedence over everything else.
Entertainment trends capture our attention more than the amusement and enjoyment they produce.
The joy and happiness in being with people we really love and care for is no longer in vogue. The technological revolution has further ensured that the tools designed for entertaining people have only served to alienate them.
In the olden days it was an accepted - or rather an enforced – norm in most families to have at least one meal of the day together on the table. Over a period of time however, the dining table remains the sole survivor of this trend with members of the family having redefined the whole concept of eating together.
Now some have their meals sprawling on the sofas watching their favourite TV shows. Deeply engrossed in their mobile phones, others are either chatting or busy watching or making reels. With the members engaging in bare minimal conversation, it is as if a bunch of strangers constitutes the family.
A sense of togetherness eludes most of the families now. That is to say that, nobody has time now. Family matters are trivia as compared to the more pressing demands of a blossoming career or alliances that bode well for the future.
Lest we forget, family is that unwavering foundation that remains steadfast, even amidst life’s most tumultuous storms. Families shape an individual’s identity and belonging from a young age.
But above all we need to realize that as long as a family is full of caring people, that family is special. Yet, it is the ‘caring’ factor which has been showing a steady retreat in human relationships that is a serious cause of concern. We are human beings, not figures sculpted out of vague substances bereft of any emotions.
It is the lack of communication between members that has proved to be the undoing of modern families. A perpetual obliviousness to the others’ presence is what typifies the attitude of the members in a family these days.
A look around one’s own house is enough for one to gauge the extent to which ‘external’ factors are contributing to our entertainment quotient. Do we really have to depend on such modes of entertainment when actually the physical presence of family members around us is enough to pep us up?
Even before the advent of television, the cell-phone revolution and other novelties of modern innovation, there was no dearth of entertainment. In fact, it was an easy-paced life, and people were happy! What has then changed! The topic of a faulty TV set in our house as a subject for this article was just an excuse to drive home the gospel truth about family and family values.
