All of a sudden, I started getting promotional offers for streaming services on my Television. It boosted ‘watch me’ services any time on any device with one single account. Well, Netflix had that already with a multi-device capability and so is Amazon Prime. Then came Disney+ followed by umpteen free to air networks promoting their own. Suddenly I had as many streaming services as the channels I had on my television.
Once I was done with TV, I was looking for my laptop or my tablet or my smartphone. If I do resist the temptation, I had my hands on a Kindle device to read something. I noticed that I craved for a device in my hand all the time.
Well, the free-to-watch channels have grown now to subscription services to pull back the younger viewers who tend to spend more times on their devices than in front of a TV. More than that, the multi-device capability now makes these young viewers glued to any kind of device that they can get their hands on.
On one fine day, I said to myself, ‘enough of this’ and I decided to stop using a device one at a time to get my hands free for other things. I realized that I need to get out this pandemic SAD – Stop A Device for viewing due to pandemic.
Many would think that it is easier said than done. They would laugh at my efforts and wish me good luck. I would agree with them whole-heartedly, but for one other pandemic SAD. I coin this pandemic SAD as – Start A Dream to fill the void.
I had to travel back in time for many decades to the times when I was a kid. I started imaging what kids would imagine now compared to what as a kid I imagined – to be when I grow up, and, what kind of world I imagined to live in. My imaginations were not in vacuum, but were repeatedly influenced by what I heard and what I saw and what I experienced. What I hear was limited to a radio with local broadcast and what I see was limited to few and far in between movies I could see and what I experienced was all to do with the real physical world that woke up to everyday. It was either playing with my buddies on the streets with street sports or watching community celebrations and festivals with family and friends, I was there physically watching it, hearing it and experiencing it. I used to travel miles to see such festivities, or, never missed one that came near my neighborhood.
Each such opportunity provided me ample time to dream for myself and for the world I would like to live.
Fast forward to now as a kid!
I would only know how to live in virtual world created by CGI rich games or movies. To live in that world, I need a device in my hand or in front of me. A world that I cannot touch or taste or smell – deprived of all senses except the sound and sight.
When our sensory rich organic body has been reduced to enjoying the richest of the richest through sound and sight only, where are those activities that can activate the other sensory organs to either feel or taste or smell to start dreaming in the real world? Should we dream limited only by sound and sight of the virtual world? Should we limit our imagination where only the words or emojis can accentuate a limited number of sensory organs of our body?
Not only we have lost powers to communicate through our sensory organs, but we also have lost to communicate through words and touch because of the pandemic. Only option we have now is to choose between a SAD of one kind to a SAD of the other kind.
I vote for SAD of only one kind that can stop the mental illness that this pandemic can cause – Start A Dream.
I had so much time as a kid to start dreams on my own, and, of my own – without getting influenced or limited to much of what I see or what I hear. When we are bombarded by multiple streaming services on multiple devices on top of what TV can offer as multiple channels, we are going to be imprisoned for life to watch and will not be able to stand up straight when this pandemic is over to get adjusted to the way of life before pandemic. To do otherwise and to save others who might have fallen into this trap, we need to start dreaming for a world that brings back the communities together for celebrations and festivities. To do that we need to get out and make it happen and not with a device in our hands, but with a message in our hands.
Wear a mask and get out. Social distance and still celebrate the community you live in and with the community you live in.
That message, in my opinion, would lead us to find ways to move from the pandemic SAD of illness to pandemic SAD of rejuvenation.