THE MICROWAVE EFFECT

 THE MICROWAVE EFFECT>>>>…an observation.

 

At half-past 2.00, as I push the dish in the microwave to heat up food for myself, I wondered how much this little machine has changed our lives.  Food needs no longer be consumed fresh and we are perfectly happy with the assumption that microwaved food is healthy and doesn’t destroy the nutrients as reheating on a stove does (Back in our childhood days, even that was considered unhealthy, and the lady was labeled lazy!)  Now the lady is modern and stylish if the machine finds its place in her kitchen. Times have changed and how.

I feel it rubbed off on our attitudes as well. We love the convenience of quick reheating and consumption of old stuff, justify it as time-saving and healthy. Nothing is lost. No wastage of food and time. 

If you note carefully, the surface and periphery get heated first before the center/core. The warmth is on the surface and the periphery.  It takes time to reach the core, unlike the stove which would heat the center at the bottom and then spread out.

 Something similar is happening to our relationships.  All on the surface and periphery, rarely reaching the core. We are impatient and don’t give it time to really warm up the core.  What we don’t realize is, our processes are different from that of the previous generation.  Microwaving is faster but the process is different. So, we consume semi-heated food, or shall I say, we have the option of heating it as per our convenience. The same applies to our relationships. Our relationships are mostly convenience-based. Use and throw. We love this idea!

We are the impatient generation; we want instant gratification in all areas of our lives and justify it with lack of time.  We find time to be on social media, load our emotions and wait for that instant like and comment.  All superfast and instant. The core remains all cold and covered up.

Social media is a great platform to connect. Are we connecting? Or experiencing a disconnect with what is just next to us?  Do we really need to put up our emotions on social media for approval? Wouldn’t it be easier to just connect directly to our partner or families who share the same room/roof with us? 

It is the dopamine rush that we crave for, provided by the likes and comments almost instantly.  Very true. What we seem to have forgotten is that the hug (Jadoo ki jhappi), the touch of our fingers or should I put it this way, every positive physical contact provides the same dopamine rush, it stays longer and is more beneficial. (Google it)

Our upbringing (still) doesn’t allow us the freedom of a display of affection/feelings) It is still considered a weakness to display your emotions.  What a pity! so much knowledge out there, so much scientific evidence, still we choose the ease of pure convenience over a little effort.

What we miss out in this type of communication are the warmth and the joy of physical contact. Communication is effective if there is eye contact, touch, and exchange of energies.  This happens when we share a common space. All the five senses have to work in cohesion to achieve good communication.

Do chats, or posts, stories help this cohesion of the five senses? I doubt, not totally.  Something remains untouched.  The soul. Effective Communication warms the soul.  When the connection needs to be just superficial where the soul is not involved much, social media is an excellent option. You have the disconnect and you can protect yourself from emotional trauma.

Unfortunately, this is not what is seen today.  We throw our emotions bare out there to be picked up by just anyone and be subjected to their interpretations and judgments. We go through emotional trauma and get affected by their evaluations of our SELF. We see more cases of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem in the current population.  This is quite ironic, with so much free advice and knowledge available at our fingertips. (Quite literally)

Why do we need to do this? Why do the likes and comments of people who would never be there for you when you need them, affect the evaluation of your SELF?

The whole process depletes us of our crucial energies, make us vulnerable and unavailable for those who really care for us.

The technologies at hand can and were meant to connect the world in a WEB. Now this very WEB has created a virtual distance between people and their feelings.

In this age of instant gratification and the world at our fingertips, let us use technology to connect to our feelings, to make our relationships warmer and stronger.   Let’s connect rather than disconnect.

Think about it…