Featured collage: Phrenology Credit: de:Benutzer:Summi and Kismet Robot Credit: Polimerek in MIT Museum/ Wikimedia
The “world” seems to be in an ever- changing mode. In many respects, it is changing in ways that raise concerns.
Look at the weather extremes. The U.S. is freezing and Australia is sizzling.
However, ignorance of global warming and climate change is not the only thing that worries us.
The technological advancement has paced up so rapidly in the last decades that the concepts which were quite imaginary and could only be seen in sci-fi or James bond movies have now become a reality.
From video calling features to driver-less cars and social media platforms to hyper loop’s fastest travel mode the world has seen so many things and trends in a short amount of time.
All these changes have impacted our lifestyles and social integration in a way that majority of the people we see are indirectly in a race to catch up with the latest of the modern technology.
On one hand we proudly claim that all the information has shrunk to just one click, but the truth of the matter is this huge amount of information has made us so much ‘information -driven’ rather than expanding our knowledge.
Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
All photos from Wikimedia Public Domain/Fair Use
For example we now do not feel any need to remember any telephone numbers anymore because our phones can do that for us, we do not try to learn new skills to handle daily matters because everything is available on video sites. So depending too much on technology is affecting our mental and physical abilities and we are considering it “Normal”
The social media platforms are used in a way that our social behavior overall has changed rapidly with all this, and our beloved country “Pakistan” is not keeping itself behind.
It is “normal” to film a person who is drowning in water rather saving him even if you are in capacity to do so.
It is “normal” to ignore the right to privacy of any person and making videos and sharing it to brutal world of social media.
It is “normal” accuse anyone you do not like of being unpatriotic.
It is “normal” to label your enemy of blasphemy and a mob will come and kill that person(s) brutally.
It is “normal” for our law enforcement to kill a whole family in bright daylight in Sahiwal.
It is “normal” for a personal guard to kill governor of Punjab.
It is “normal” to defend your leader despite knowing him that one is morally or financially corrupt.
It is “normal” to promote hatred against any race, class or religion.
We have hundreds of examples of how the society has been injected intentionally or un intentionally with uncertainty, intolerance, ultra chauvinism and trust deficit upon civil institutions.
We should all think on how we can overcome these challenges for a peaceful and just society. Technology can be used for positivism and productivity.
It is important how we give a chance to reality over perception.
Our new “NORMAL” is ruining us. Let us work together to turn to the “Real Normal” for genuine well-being of all members of the society.
True 👌
The “new normal” prefers “data” over “information” and “information” over “knowledge” leaving “wisdom” gained from “knowledge” nowhere to be seen. Let us normalize information-gathering by collecting data to enhance our knowledge-capacities to attain wisdom in this digitized world.