Yet another year has passed. My love for technology has only further matured. As a result, when we all await 2013 and the newest gizmos that it brings, my heart yearns for something more – a higher purpose.
Tech has partnered me like none. It has been a healthy source of income for fareastgizmos.com. But a string of thoughts have been troubling me for a while now.
Have we all been selfish in our relationship with technology by over-using it? Ins’t it unfair on our part to expect from technology more than what it can give? Technology is only to make life simple – while our higher purpose is to just be happy with a simplified life.
We have only made our lives complex by being enslaved to technology. We are running away from the reality of life into a simulated environment. We keep a huge load of low quality information in our brain. By constantly multitasking, we suffer from Continuous Partial Attention. We are increasingly getting trapped in the momentum of virtual experiences rather than real ones. We are getting farther away from the Experience of Being Alive!
Of course, there can be a huge blog post on ‘How we are misusing technology’ to make our lives miserable. That is not the purpose of this blog post. My purpose here is to open ourselves unto a higher purpose. There is a big bright real world OUTSIDE the virtual world. Do you get my point? – Reality is OUTSIDE and NOT on your screen! And then there is an absolute reality which is WITHIN each of us. THAT is where happiness lies – and not on our screens.
– Quality time spent with our loved ones in each others’ tangible presence.
– an outdoor game played with children and friends
– a brisk walk under the sun instead of a treadmill
– Being in the company of great saints and their divine vibrations
– Listening to the wisdom imparted by the wise men (fareast cannot but not talk about zen)
– Finding the true purpose of life by repeatedly asking ourselves
Who am I?
Whence did I come from?
What is my true nature?
THIS is the higher purpose that I’m talking about. Of course, I’m aware that everyone from their part is trying their best to answer these fundamental questions. In fact, the quest for happiness itself has brought us to develop more and more gadgets. But I want to drill it in, so that we awaken our power of discrimination. Gadgets and gizmos are wonderful friends who save our time and energies, which in turn can be devoted to reaching our higher goal. We would be unfair not just on ourselves but also on gadgets if we use them for a purpose that they are not made for!
As we welcome 2013, I pray that we use our favorite gadgets to make our lives simple and happy. May we re-establish the depth in relationship with our families, friends and ourselves.
