I like Etymology as Science. Words of any language evolve and take shapes and forms of their own which might mean a lot different than the source.
One word which is interesting to me is ‘Pen’.
The word ‘pen’ is derived from Middle English pen, penne (like Pasta) which meant “enclosure for animals”, or basically a Cage or the more obvious ‘penitentiary’ or Prison. Ink Pen would’ve been a cage for Ink. From that, we moved on to Ball Pen, stylus, and so on.
While Pen originally meant to enclose or shut off things, it changed into something which resembles freedom and lets us imagine things.
We already have MNP or mobile number portability in India. That is, the ability to keep the same phone number but freely moving across different Service Providers. That helps us to choose the best plan for ourselves and keeps the Service Provider companies’ exorbitant price hikes in-check. We also have multiple Cloud Services providers, Data Storage providers, Banks, and so forth where we can change our service providers to choose what suits us.
Dr. Aral suggested this strange-sounding but still worth paying attention to idea: Why can’t Social Media companies act like Social Service Provider? Each of their users (i.e. us) should be free to change the service and move over to another while taking all of their data and friend lists with them.
For example, say I have 800 friends on Facebook (I had 1000+ but one day I cleaned it up) and say I am not on Twitter (I am but I just tweet about the weather). But I am done with Facebook’s privacy rules and constantly showing up of ads on my Timeline. So, if I want to move on to somewhere else, I have to lose all my data then and there. I would lose all my private messages, photos, comments, and so on. Instead, I should have the ability to either download everything that Facebook has recorded with my account (which is after all a unique ID). Or, I should be able to port it all to another social media website, say Twitter. Of course, each one has its own functionalities but in general, they all have Text, Photos, Replies, and private messages as their primary functionality. Moreover, I should also be able to connect to (via APIs) any user (or block them everywhere) from any other social media website.
This idea would help regulate not only the companies who just flaunt the monopoly and power they have over people’s lives, but it would also increase accountability on part of the user. Basically, all these companies are just service providers and they should behave in such a manner. Really interesting if this happens!
One downside from user’s perspective is that this would need a user to lose their anonymity to an extent if they show up with their real name on Facebook but you want to say whatever comes to their mind on Twitter as anonymous. But we need to choose what we find more precious, our data or our freedom of expression.
You can listen to the full podcast here where he talks further about other things which make Social Media what a behemoth it is:
Just in front of my apartment, every day around noon, a bunch of kids play gully Cricket. More than the actual play, they indulge in shouting in a shrill high-pitched cacophony. Now, I am not one of those who get disturbed by it, rather I appreciate them playing instead of doing infinite scrolling. Guessing by their shrillness in their voices, they all seem to be just 10-12-year-olds. Reminiscing from my own lives, I foresee this: Soon, their voices would crack and the shouting would subside. They would be subjected to societal pressure of delivering goods in their board exams. A lot of change would happen over time in everyone’s lives. Not everyone would like it but it is going to happen.
Everyone feels uncomfortable when change happens. Everyone, even if they don’t show it. The way they express might be different but nobody likes to disturb the status quo. Especially when change happens within a short period of time, it is not always a pretty sight. (Unless you are a terrorist). But it is inevitable.
If there had been no change, no progress would have been made. Imagine your ancestors as single-cell organisms living in a shallow pond. Life would be just floating around in water and chilling. If they hadn’t changed their usual behavior and didn’t interact with nearby surroundings, you would not be reading this here. Imagine you being in the same job for years with the same set of people, doing the same sort of work. You might not change but technology would and it would force you to adapt or perish.
Even if the ongoing pandemic has brought mostly doom, it has made us realize what things are really important and what all needs to change.
We should embrace a bit of change once in a while and be ready for it mentally. Sachin Tendulkar retired 7 years ago. Could you imagine that sort of change? But it happened, and we are sad but okay. The same is comfortable but boring.
I generally don’t think long-term. I do have ambitions and I have a general plan but there is no more irksome question than “Where do you see yourself after 5 years?”. Memes about this question being asked in 2015 are already aplenty. All your plans, goals, and targets crumble as soon as a personal calamity occurs.
Just a day after Diwali 78% people of my family fell sick which totally ruined all the festivities. The scare is still hanging in the balance and the road to recovery is still a few weeks longer. This has totally toppled everyone’s plans, goals, and targets and now everyone is looking for short-term betterment.
Think about your life. Divide it into weeks (or months or years or decades). If you are already in your 30s, 33% of your life has already gone. The majority of the time you spent with your parents, your real friends, and your hobbies might already be spent. Many of the attempts are already being used up as we speak.
But, it is not all bad. We still have 66% of the life left. That is actually good. The most satisfactory time is yet to come your way. Your earlier time might have been for your own self. Maybe, now is the time to think about others. Now might be the time when you can guide others to lead their lives better. Now might be the time when you can devote to your latent hobbies. The others can be anyone you care for.
We will always be short of time. But there might be a wee bit of time in your week left to spend thinking about others. Think of your life in weeks or months or years or decades. Many greats achieved their highs in their careers in 2nd halves of their lives. So can we.
There will be a mixed bag of news coming our way as we grow older. Many of them would be out of our control anyway. So, instead of saying why me, we can change our perspective and think about what can be done to change the next few coming weeks, or years, or decades. But don’t reply to the dreaded question about where do you see yourself after 5 years as the answer remains: In the mirror.
Diwali isn’t the same when the first thing you hear is that half of your family is coping with the C thing. Your stomach feels weird and taste feels weirder when your loved ones suffer. Of course, I won’t be the first one and the last one to feel this as whole humankind of going through this churn of uneasiness and mental upheaval.
Hopefully tomorrow would be better. That’s the message of Diwali too. Next morning should bring happiness and prosperity. Hope is what we have!
A few days ago, I attended a birthday party of my 2-year-old nephew on Zoom. As expected, it was beautiful but chaotic. Most of the guests (their age ranged from 2-year-olds to 75-year-olds) were using Zoom for the first time. At least they hadn’t attended with so many participants. But it was the only way possible. Since it happened online, people who would ignore such parties, also joined in.
That is the basic premise of 2020. People are more connected than ever. We also realize that online is not the same as in-person.
This would be my 3rd time in 10 years away from my hometown when I am going to spend Diwali (the biggest festival for me and my family) in Bangalore. As I write this, it is raining here. I just switched off the lights which I installed outside. There’s hardly any noise of crackers this time. Out of say 50 houses, I see from my balcony, only 5 of them barely show any glitter which looks Diwali-worthy. A lot has happened this year already which has brought more gloom than glee. The picture outside doesn’t really help. And this is all compared to the usual hoopla the festival of Diwali is in Jaipur. If I say Jaipur is designed for Diwali, it won’t be an understatement. Most of the friends here have either left Bangalore or are staying far away.
We could have stayed gloomy and kept it dark. But we did step up and tried to do our bit. Again, I am not bursting crackers, but I did install some Lights outside, we bought dozens of Diyas and Candles, we are making some Diwali special dishes, prepping up to make rangoli, and doing everything possible to make it memorable. We won’t go outside as the pandemic is still not over. This time, we would celebrate it on Zoom. It would be chaotic, but it would still be beautiful. This might give another opportunity to connect with folks, with whom, it has been a long time no see situation.
Happy Diwali to everyone staying away from their homes! And by home, I mean people you care about. Let’s brighten things up!
Let’s give it a try. By not bursting firecrackers this time? I know it is a cliche but have we really given it a go, completely ever? Obviously, I cannot force or coerce anyone. I am just thinking out loud.
What if, the next morning of Diwali, roads look a bit cleaner, devoid of white and red leftovers of the crackers, half-burnt sparkle sticks, crushed flower pots, and rockets gone haywire?
What if, the air feels a bit lighter than the usual next day? Easier to breathe for non-asthmatic people too.
What if, instead of spending 2 hours outside the home, you reconnect with family and friends, just by having a conversation?
What if, money spent on Firecrackers can be put to some other use?
We have known Diwali to be full of loud noises throughout the evening and late into the night. What if it is just silent in decibels? But all the shiny and fancy clothes, houses, markets, and shops staying intact.
What if it works out and we end up liking it this way?
