Anupam- The Dreamer

Maybe, it’s time to slow down a little bit

In today’s times, everything has become fast paced! The internet has become fast. The electronic gadgets have become fast. The redundancy of obsolete technology (like mobile phones, tablets) has become fast. And even food has become “fast” (food). I wonder that in this transition of life becoming so faster than ever before, the virtues of patience and contentment will be running thin. Because there is no time to slow down and savour the beauty of things around us. Everyone is in mad race of becoming fast lest they may be left behind the faster guys. And nobody wants to be at the receiving end of this transformation in the fear of being outcasted by society (as Gen Z would call it- fomo)!

We live in a world where due to consumerism and easy availability and access to things makes a person gullible to instant gratification and pleasure-seeking behaviour. When we want to eat pizza, we can order one right away. If we want to buy a mobile, it is just a click away on Amazon. If we want to watch any movie, it is again on our fingertips. It’s good that increasing economic prosperity has made things easier for all of us. But my concern is not this. And my concern is also not that we shouldn’t have these things. My concern is while doing these things, somewhere we are missing the virtue of patience and the virtue of long-term happiness and the value of working hard to acquire something.

Gone are the times when we used to plan for a family outing to make our way for the best restaurant in town to eat our favourite dish and our earnest wait for that day to come. I miss the time when we used to pester our parents for months or years to buy a mobile or a computer of our own choice. And their assurance of getting us a bicycle if we stood 1st in class. And the times when I went out to rent a CD for a movie for Rs. 10 a day, when internet was a rare commodity for the rich and privileged few. I miss those cherished times. And I am afraid that the children of the present generation will never be able to experience those things because they live in a different world and have duniya on their fingertips. 

But wait, all is not gloomy around and there is a sliver of hope beaming through the window. In this mad race, there are a very few people, infact I am happy that their numbers are rising, albeit slowly, who have become fed up with this fast paced lifestyle and have sought recourse to slow paced lifestyle in the woods or in the hinterland. When you start flipping reels on social media or you are navigating through the posts or even when you are reading content on “feel good” websites, you’ll find a number of such articles about people who were earning in 7 or 8 digits earlier, who were big shots in the corporate world, leaving their fast paced urban lifestyle and adopting a slow relaxed and calm rural lifestyle. And mind it, rural doesn’t always mean backward or lack of amenities. Today, rural is more advanced than urban in terms of quality of life! You name it and rural has it. Good speed internet- rural has it. Good road connectivity- rural has it. Availability of every bla bla bla groceries- rural has it. And rural has some things that urban can never have- pure pollution free air, serene environment devoid of traffic jams, a lot of greenery, organic food, beautiful landscapes (and not concrete jungles of cities), sound of birds chirping, and a mental retreat for the mind to relax and soak in the beauty of nature.

The other day, I was reading about a person who was a CEO of a startup, who had achieved good success in running the future technology-based startup, starting full time meditation sessions in Rishikesh for the people fed up by urban melancholic lifestyle. They have even seen opportunity in allowing people to come to their sessions to seek relaxation and piece of mind for a little while. Sounds something like Robin Sharma of “The Monk who sold his Ferrari” fame!!!! Yes, it may. But, this is the future I foresee. Earlier, the simple essential things in life like yoga, meditation, exercise, chemical-free food, morning and evening walks, etc. were not talked about. They were so common in the lifestyle of people, that there was no need of even talking about these. But now, as they have become so elusive from our urban lifestyle, that they are not just talked about, but have become even business opportunities for the smart folks. These smart people are providing you such elusive things for a fat price in their resorts and offbeat locations. And the trend has just started. To boost their business are scores of people who after getting exhausted through taxing 9 to 9 job, are picking up their cars and moving to such remote places on the weekends to seek an ounce of peace.

Therefore, the humans have now got to turn on two modes within their mind, body and soul- 1. urban mode and 2. rural mode. And they have to develop adaptability to toggle between them as fast as the speed of light. Because otherwise, you may not be able to life a healthy and peaceful lifestyle. And the best are the ones who have just one mode i.e. “rural mode”. They would be the happiest lot in the times to come, enjoying the best that this world has to offer. And again at the sake of repetition, rural doesn’t mean going back to the Harappan age. Rural means the best of traditional and modern, the best of everything….

There is “Keith Urban”, you see. I want to see a day when there is “Anupam Rural” 😀