Certain setbacks of free messaging apps.....

The free messaging apps have enclosed us in a virtual world. Heads down and fingers moving vigorously  on screen like ants has turned out into a most undefeated hobby. Of course these apps have paid their plausible contribution in shrinking the size of our planet Earth. But it has also led to confusions, misunderstandings and fights. Let's have a look at the causes of such outcomes:

1. Tricky Emoticons:

  

The use of emoticons is so enormous and popular. It has an upper hand in most of the conversations as they are given more preference than the words. Why would I like to call them as "tricky?" That's because whatever feelings a person is undergoing cannot be put forward as a mirror image with the help of emoticons. It can be contradictory. For instance if an individual feels that he has typed something nasty online, he would immediately send '😜' or '😉' just to reduce the impact of nastiness or arrogance. That individual is trying to cover up the emotion of anger or frustration through such emoticons. The person on the other end may feel he or she is joking and would take it lightly. It leads to misinterpretation of emotions, until and unless you specify clearly what is going on your mind.

2. Are you considering a stranger as your friend?

Many a times one likes to show his/her chats to friends. It leads to the arousal of excitement and exchange of 'ideas.' Here 'ideas' actually mean: Gosh! That's not the way of writing! Wait, give to me and I will type it! The person on the other end feels that those messages are the results of the actual friend's processed thoughts and he/she may either be happy, angry or sad depending on the nature of the message. To have more fun, the stranger never spills the beans out of the bag. He/she gains pleasure in confusing the person on the other end, which could lead to disastrous consequences. 

3. Has making people laugh turned out to be your job?

These messaging apps are comprehended as 'entertainment' for many people. There are individuals who depend on others for passing out their time, so they start sending messages to the ones by-whom they are entertained, when they appear online. The ones who have a good sense of humour may be struck by a thought that the 'importance' they gain through such messages could be the shortcomings of being liked by an xyz person. They don't realise that the importance is maybe nothing but the urge to ooze out boredom, for which humorous people are taken for granted. 'Don't go offline. I will get bored' or 'I am so damn bored...start a topic' are the texts which would make you wonder have you really turned out to be a mere source of entertainment for others? 

4. Do you mean what you type?

The 'indirect conversation' is the essence of messaging apps. People take this as a support to express certain feelings which they are afraid or not comfortable to say directly. They gain complete freedom to bombard those feelings into the small boxes which pop up sequentially on the screen. The words that make up a sentence can be altered and altered again depending on the mood or how diplomatic a person is. But is the weight of the words equal to the weight of the feelings stirring inside?  God knows! I would only like to suggest that don't get swayed by the nature of the words that an individual types down as a text message. Whether the words are heart-warming or harsh, I feel that one should not jump over conclusions, as you are not with the person in reality and hence you can't even guess what his/her state of mind could be!

 

Actions speak louder than words. One must not get emotionally charged just by brooding over the words spilled out from the person's fingers. His/ her actions in future would slowly give you a clear idea about his/her personality.

There was another quote which I came across in FB:

"People type 'lol' without even laughing hard. So, if someone types 'I love you', there may be a possibility that the person doesn't mean it. Don't get fooled!" 

5. Absence of observing body language:

As mentioned in the earlier point, texting is an indirect conversation. That can also be considered as a setback of texting because we miss out one of the most important technique of knowing a person closely and that is through his body language. We generally have a tendency to judge a person by hearing out the words spoken. But observing a person's body language, especially the person's eyes is helpful in knowing a lot about the person in the first meeting itself. Words as I explained earlier could be altered and manipulated very easily by us. But the body language cannot be succumbed to changes as per the mind's desire. It gives you the picture regarding the core of an individual's personality. That however is not possible in text conversations. 

The above assumptions after all is inclusive of the typed out explanations which were lying deep within my opinions. Through this article, I don't have any intention to challenge someone else's opinions regarding messaging apps. I know different people would be having varied opinions or suggestions regarding this and I truly respect that.

Why this Diwali was so special for me......

I felt different this time. It seemed as if an entire revolution has occurred in my mind, opening the door to a fresh perspective. I was joyous, but not by looking at myself in the mirror in my 

new dress but by developing a new skill and nurturing it through my unselfish behaviour. 

I heard people complementing about my face being photogenic. I love to click selfies of myself, trying to give weird as well sweet expressions. When I was small I had the habit of posing like God Krishna, imagining myself playing a melodious tune with my flute. It was like an inborn tendency! 

I grew up and joined the crowd in the  era of social networking. "I got 37 comments for my pic!" or "my crush liked my status!" were the utterances that my ears grew accustomed to. I started enjoying posting pics on Facebook. My relatives and friends liked them as well. Being on Facebook during the age of 13 or 14 for me was like a feather on my cap! 

I watered the habit of clicking selfies during the time of occasions, which blossomed like a flowering plant. Once as usual I was clicking selfies during the time of a relative's wedding. My parents got ready by then and told me to click their pictures. I got a bit frustrated. I started clicking their pictures half-heartedly. I gave more importance to my own selfies, neglecting the joy of taking my own parent's pictures. 

After two years I entered college and got many beauty spots on my face. Well that was mockingly put down by me. It is synonymous to 'acne.' I felt that I am not pretty anymore! I stopped clicking selfies of myself. Because it disgusted me. 

Slowly and gradually I came out of the 'acne caused sadness.' Thanks to my parents who filled my soul with optimistic thoughts. Change is inevitable and applying this fact to the problem of acne implies that it's going to vanish soon!

Diwali vacations followed after the hectic exam schedule and I read 'the last song' written by Nicholas Sparks. This book taught me so much. It is next to impossible to describe my feelings for the book here. But I would like to highlight on one of the amazing thought of the book: 'the unconditional love.' 

Every teenager I feel would like to have a partner who showers unconditional love. But when you start dreaming about this, has a thought ever struck you that the love which you are craving for is present with you right now? It is. Your parents!

I have realised that sometimes we youngsters get so much engrossed with our dreams and friends that unknowingly we neglect out own parents. But they don't do so. They smile when we do and they rush to help even when a small frown appear on our foreheads.

This Diwali I had made my way out of the negligence. I didn't care about the acne on my face. I didn't care about taking selfies on my phone. I just looked at my parents' happy faces and thought of the ways of how I could sustain those smiles. I clicked many pictures of my parents and after every click I didn't even ask them to click mine in return. It was my mom who told me later that she would click mine. I enjoyed clicking pics and it dawned on me that I do have the skill to click good pictures. I clicked pics of my temple and told my mom to give various poses. I felt contended. I felt happy. 

The phone is the same one, the app is the same for clicking pictures and the quality is as mesmerising as ever! Just the eyes that were searching for perfection in every click reflected a new vision. The vision of unconditional love and though this example forms a small part in its entire beautiful concept, it sure would pave the path for the love to blossom in future! 

The Lighthouse

I have an interesting topic to write down today. The topic throws light on an object that is so much connected to each one of us around the globe or more specifically I can put it down as the object which is 'inside' us. Don't be under the impression that the object I am talking about is an imaginary one designed by me! It is neither imaginary nor visible with the naked eye. It can only be heard if one pays attention to it closely. It has a name. But I have given it a different name which was suggested by my father.  

The Lighthouse.

How can a lighthouse be inside a human being? It is constructed to direct the ships in dark! Duh! The reason behind entitling the object with this name would be explained later. First I would like to write in depth about it. The universal name of this object is the 'sixth sense.' I hope now it is a bit easier to analyze about this object. I don't know whether 'object' is the right word for sixth sense. Or can it be described as an 'abstract feeling?' Chuck. I will leave this to you. 

The lighthouse or the divine voice is just like a whisper. I hear it many times in a day. It is very spontaneous. It just appears and disappears like the ocean waves. But it has an outstanding clarity, because it wants us to hear the opinion as transparent as a piece of glass. It depends on us whether we should listen to it or ignore it. Some people call this voice as 'God.' That is due to it's purity and truthfulness. My father had once told me that the voice that alerts you or stops you when you are trying to do something wrong is always right. One should never dishonor it.

I have heard the voice plenty of times in my heart. At that moment I realize that it is not created by me. It is a creator itself. Very natural just as the clouds dart away to show the blue sky or when lightning shines when the rain unfolds. All these phenomenon are the various forms of God. Similarly the voice beneath the clogged brain is yet another form of God. So many people ignore it, not allowing it to grow and it sinks deeper and deeper in the ocean of stress, greed and day to day hassles. It leaves us completely and the traces fade away. Even the time becomes helpless to bring it back. Without that light, we have no one to guide us and acquaint us with the right paths. We become like the wanderers who doesn't know what to seek and love.

I named it as the lighthouse because just as the actual lighthouse directs and guides the ship in time of necessity, the divine light also does the same thing. They are our true companions, intact with our souls. We can inculcate the habit of having a small 'chat' with God by sitting in a silent room in a relaxed position or by walking in a park early in the morning. Recollect all the good and the bad things that you have done and start questioning yourself about them. Slowly and gradually you will start getting answers from within. 

Just as being in contact with your friends on Facebook or Watsapp is very important for you, in the same way do give importance to the contact lying deep within your soul. The responses are more unique, clear and intricately explained than the ones flashed on the apps! 

The changing time

Sometimes one's mind is just clouded over with so many emotions. If those clouds part away, mind becomes as wide as a clear blue sky. If the clouds continue to exist, it seems as if there is no end to this gloomy day. I often wonder what keeps our mind occupied so much? As one thought changes into another, one emotion dissolves and another one evolves. As change is inevitable in life, a thought that grasps an emotion deviates and then that emotion takes the shape of some other. One can look at this deviation as a cycle, wherein the thoughts connected to certain emotions are interconnected with the experiences which involves an individual's lifestyle. It appears to me as a never ending reincarnation process. Though we are not born everyday, new thoughts and emotions within us decide our actions as our actions depend upon them and they lead our personalities to a new highway. There are situations in which one feels that his life is going perfect and then the clock hung on the wall of his house enlightens him with a new time. I imagine time as breaking up into pieces due to a reason and then forming up into a confident period again due to some reason. Time can change us and we can also change time. But it all depends on the intensity of determination sung by an individual's heart. Doesn't the 'inevitable change' scare you sometimes? Can happy moments haunt you with the sad ones that may have occurred in your life? Does the past affect your present? It's a very common quote: Live in present! But doesn't it happen that both past and future in times draws curtains on that window? The window which gives the best view of your present. That window becomes dark somehow. Sadness of the past and worries of the future completely chains you. It leaves one helpless. But why??? Why don't you at that time lead yourself in a movement, a movement that could shower freedom in your own mind? This is freedom from your very own thoughts!!! Freedom from thoughts that lowers you down. Freedom from thoughts which always depict the dark side of your life. Freedom from thoughts which only gives you insight of negative emotions. Freedom from thoughts which makes you doubt about yourself. The world outside is engaged into struggles to achieve freedom but there has to be a little amount of freedom won in an individual's mind. That freedom I feel holds an apex position in the entire list of types of freedom. If the past hurts you, remember that you have reached to a certain level today, just because of your past. It has already been dealt over by you. If the future scares you, remember that actions in your present will anyway define your future. So do good deeds and give your 100%. Never swim in the misunderstanding of ultimate perfection. One cannot be smiling and living peacefully in all the 365 days of the year! Of course positivism do helps in being happy. But the ups and downs is like another nutrition intake for your spiritual growth.

Inevitable change in time can give birth to happiness as well as sorrows. There is no control over it. But the intensity of dejection can definitely be controlled over by us!

Keep smiling always! :)