By Vimal Kapoor
When was the last time you sat in uninterrupted silence or simply enjoyed a bestseller, curled in your bed? When was the last time you spent at least half a day without reaching for your mobile? Technology was created to make our lives easier. It has undoubtedly saved us time, reduced physical effort, connected us across great distances, and made information available at our fingertips. Yet, somewhere along the way, an odd transformation has taken place. Instead of technology merely serving us, we have begun to depend on it for even the simplest things. Our mobile phones, GPS systems, elevators, escalators, online services, Zomato, Blinkit and countless other conveniences have gradually changed the way we think, move, remember, and live.
Let’s discuss our mobile phones. There was a time when I could remember dozens of telephone numbers by heart. We knew the numbers of our parents, siblings, friends, neighbours, offices, and relatives without having to look them up. Today, we may struggle to remember even our own family members’ numbers because our phones remember them for us. We simply tap a name, and the number appears. It is convenient, certainly, but it has also reduced the need to exercise our memory. Ironically even after three decades I still remember those landline numbers though almost all of these connections have faded into oblivion.
The same thing has happened with navigation. Earlier, travelling to an unfamiliar place required attention and observation. We remembered landmarks—a particular temple, a petrol pump, a school, a large tree, a bridge, or a colourful building. We would ask people for directions and gradually develop a mental map of our surroundings. Today, we depend on GPS to tell us where to turn, which road to take, and how many kilometres remain. We can drive through an unfamiliar city while barely knowing where we are. If the GPS suddenly stops working, many of us feel surprisingly helpless. Recently I was in Delhi and drove from one place to another with ease thanks to the GPS; I wondered how I would have managed without it!
Our dependence on technology goes beyond phones and navigation. Consider physical activity. Previous generations naturally walked more because there were fewer alternatives. People climbed stairs instead of automatically taking an elevator. They walked to nearby shops, travelled shorter distances on foot, carried things themselves, and performed household tasks that required physical effort. Today, elevators, escalators, vehicles, delivery services, washing machines, robotic cleaners, and countless other devices have removed much of that effort from our daily lives.
There is nothing wrong with comfort. In fact, many technological developments have brought enormous benefits. Elevators are essential for elderly people and those with disabilities. GPS has made travel safer and easier. Mobile phones allow us to communicate instantly and summon help during emergencies. Technology has transformed medicine, education, business, transportation, and almost every other area of human life.
The concern is not technology itself, but our relationship with it.
When convenience becomes dependence, we may gradually lose abilities that were once natural to us. We no longer need to remember because our phones remember. We no longer need to navigate because GPS navigates. We no longer need to wait because everything can be delivered instantly. We no longer need to walk because a vehicle can take us almost everywhere. We no longer need to tolerate boredom because a screen is always available to entertain us.
Perhaps the most significant change is psychological. We have become accustomed to immediate answers and instant solutions. A question that once required thought, discussion, or research can now be answered in seconds. A journey that once required preparation can now be undertaken simply by following a blue line on a screen. Now a traffic signal becomes a chance to check WhatsApp! Even moments of silence and solitude are often filled by scrolling through social media. No wonder cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s are multiplying at dizzying pace!
We should teach our children that reading long and bulky books is better for us than skimming through dozens of headlines, that thirty minutes of stimulating conversation is better than thousand text messages and walk through the woods without mobile and headphones is meditation on the move.
We should use our phones without allowing them to occupy every quiet moment of our day. The answer is not to reject technology or return to the past. The goal should be balance. We can use GPS but occasionally challenge ourselves to remember the route. We can save phone numbers while also remembering a few important ones. We can take the elevator when necessary but choose the stairs when we are not in a rush. We should be aware the same tools that inform us can also numb our minds. We have more conveniences than any previous generation, yet we have fewer opportunities to practice patience, observation, physical endurance, and self-reliance!
(Vimal Kapoor, a Dehradun resident, is passionate about literature, creative writing, cricket and exploration through travel)
