Nothing pains a sensitive heart and a sensible mind than calling one’s own society devolving. But Vijay Phansikar’s profoundly concernful ‘Loud Thinking’ subtly brought this hurting bitter truth to the fore. His earnest appeal to apply the brakes on the nightly culture of staying wide awake before the gadgets rang alarm bells in minds alike of a potential harm being done to the healthy fabric of society by the modern ‘OTT culture’. Nighttime is an irreplaceable time for one to relax, rest, sleep; rejuvenate body, mind and soulso that, the next day ‘life’ can smoothly and enjoyably, continue its onward journey. But when this invaluable time is literally burned before the gadgets by many in an evolved society so to say, it results in fatigued and irritated brains, agitated hearts and exhausted bodies. How can a society thrive, rather survive, with such gross indiscipline in everyday life.

 

This impropriety can only subject one highly liable to mental and physical health concerns. Night screen addiction is a ‘classic example’ of how cleverly crafted commercial plans can easily ruin a rock solid culture of a society, diverting it towards the process of devolution with its voluntary and valid consent. Mr Phanshikar’s threat perception that anybody who expresses caution in this regard is likely to get branded backward is even more painful. Here I won’t fear to call the gadget-grilled people themselves backward. For they have made the most unscientific, irrational and illogical choice to reject the traditional wisdom of ‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy and wise’ and willfully clung to the cheapie temptations thrown at them every night.

 

Mr Editor has rightly pointed out that perpetually pursuing the video-platform content in no way can enrich human mind. The regular exposure to the OTT content has immense potential to pollute, infect and even inject human mind with damaging feeds. And as a medico, I can bet that this, coupled with sleep deprivation, can be a deadly combination for humans, making them immensely susceptible to serious mental ailments and dreaded diseases in near future. Thus, stressing all night to de-stress is not at all sane, it is disastrous!!

 

The practical solution (of course if one is first willing to consider it as a problem) to set oneself free from the glittering clutches of the screens is to connect to art, literature, sports, good reading; pursuing good hobbies and promoting intellectual associations. Connecting to ‘oneself’, being at peace and contentment with oneself through these beautiful pursuits can surely keep us away from the mutilating lure of the glaring screens. When the Government has ‘resolved’ to turn a blind eye to the issue, it is surely the responsibility of each one of us as parents, teachers, doctors, lawyers, journalists, writers, thinkers, social volunteers and responsible members of a culturally rich society to be vocal and to ourselves serve effective educative tools on this front. I am sure many are listening! I am very optimistic that with our concerted efforts, screen sanity will prevail and society will be back on the road of evolution!! Let us firmly join our powerful hands!!!