Once upon a time, my father used to insist on me reading the editorials from Indian Express and re-writing the article in my own words. His idea was that the language used in the newspaper was of the highest order and reading/trying to re write it would improve my language skills.
Can we say the same about today’s newspapers?
With increasing frequency, I come across spelling mistakes, missing punctuations, print errors and worse grammar mistakes. Some of the newspapers I guess are not very worried about such niceties. If you are publishing huge glossy photos of half nude models on every page, why worry about other content? I feel helpless in such a world.
Nobody cares about quality of the material we live with. All we now care is whether it’s “done and out” or not. Part of the problem is our obsession with visible results, lack of patience and most of all, fear of being redundant.
Look around for yourself. Vehicles do not last for more than 3 years, phones, laptops and electronics don’t last beyond 1 year and people get restless In a job in less than 6 months. What’s happening? Why is there so much impatience, restlessness and relentless pursuit for novelty? Sometime back when things were made the hard way, when they were designed to painstaking detail, crafted with mastery and sold with respect and pride, we had a special attachment to our possessions. I remember during my childhood, when there was something new arriving in the house, it was a big event. Be it a sewing machine or a electric grinder. But now, we buy worthless things pouring lakhs of rupees and we don’t have the discipline or respect to use them carefully.
Remember your dad who never allowed you to drive his 60’s scooter or the refrigerator you mother would be hysteric if you slam shut its door? Are we even watching it now? All that people are worried about is whether others envy what we have. You buy an iPhone because your friends and colleagues feel its uber cool to have one. You buy a MUV because people are awed when they see you driving it around. You buy a grand apartment in a posh gated community because you want to be surrounded by such people. And then, you dump all of them for a new fad.
I feel we really don’t care what WE think about what we HAVE which is ironic. To get all this, we slog late nights in office for promotions, try and save big time in onsite assignments and compromise on what makes us happy. Why? Why are we blind to our priorities? Why do we always end up spending impulsively? Why don’t we care? I derive a strange feeling of togetherness using ‘WE’ but in fact, it could be me alone!
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