By Ashwin Govindraj
As I sit on the sofa typing this article, all grown up and
seemingly more mature, I can’t help but reminisce about the days when I could
still watch cartoons, play lock-and-key with my neighbours, go to an amusement
park with mum and dad and live life as if there was no tomorrow. Those were
certainly the good old days.
Time and people change so much with each passing day. It
now seems like an enormous effort to just go out and play or do whatever you
like. There are so many constraints nowadays. There were days when the only way
to contact people was to meet them in person. Now I hardly ever get to see my
neighbour and a very good friend who lives next door. Despite being within
touching distance of each other, I haven’t spoken to him properly in over a year!
Things have changed so much these days. Back then there were no mobile phones
and the only way to stay in touch with friends was to meet them.
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| Photo credit - Akhil Pawar |
Nowadays people are too lazy to meet up and prefer to stay
in touch “virtually”. There were no PSPs or iPods back then and games meant
playing outside with the other kids in the neighbourhood. When I was in school,
my neighbours and I used to meet up every day at 4:30 in the evening to play or
just to talk! But kids these days only play games online or at a gaming centre.
Those were the days when people did not know the meaning of the word ego. If I
wanted to meet up or talk to a friend or a family member, I would do so without
any hesitation. Life was so much better and simpler. Things seem too
complicated these days and everything you do or say might have unintended
implications!
It would be nice if times did not have to change so much,
but life has to go on and people have to move on. Stay in touch with everyone
you have known and anyone who has made a difference to you. The most important
time is now, so quit watching too much TV, spending long hours online, working
too much and messaging people. Instead spend more of your time with the people
who love you the most — family and friends!
