The Internet is a depressing place. And that is to say the least. The secular world most of us belong to believe not in a biblical armageddon, but in a modern apocalypse, brought forth by our own humans deeds. Movies and popular culture are testament to this fact. Most science fiction stories depicts this as a hostile takeover by the sentient beings we create, robots, with advanced artificial intelligence. They all have the same underlying premise. A world so dependent, so addicted, to artificial help that we forget not just ourselves, but our traditions, our culture and our background. But analyse yourselves right now. Take in the world around you. Look around. Is it beautiful anymore? No. It's a horrid place. Desolate. Sad.
Isn't this apocalypse under way already? Sans the hostility, of course. Aren't humans already at the mercy of machines? Has humanity been so consumed by greed and self-imagery, that we have forgot what it means to be really human? Pleasure used to be derived through love, entertainment, and arts. What does pleasure and fun mean today? A few thousand pixels in a luminescent screen? Books were read far and wide then. Fate would have them turn into no more than toilet paper. People have become so self-absorbed, cocooned in insecurity, contorting to the whims of sycophants.
I pity the world around me. I know people who get anxious if they're away from their smartphones for 2 minutes. I know people who mock me for not owning a phone. I know people who ridicule me for reading books. I even know a friend who asked me why I even bothered reading books in the 21st century; the importance of books are soon to be null. I sometimes wonder whether he was wise for saying so, or just extremely stupid. I am looked down upon by a group of philistines. I keep a stoical expression through it all.
To them, I'm a loser. I'm a loser because I don't have a smartphone. Because I don't have accounts in all the up and coming websites dishing out flattery in small packages. Because I don't care about my place in the midst of attention-whores. My friends and I used to have genuinely fun times when we hung out, but lately, I've been noticing the only thing they're interested in are their phones. A typical example of a snack outside with friends would be sitting at a table with all of them rapidly tapping their touchscreen, communicating with "girlfriends" they've never met, and my awkwardly watching this play out.
Does love have the same meaning today? Is it love if its online? Is it possible to feel the same amount of affection towards a person just by staring at their profile picture and exchanging a few lines of dialogue with them? I'm not an expert on romantics, but I say no. "Love". How strange. Its pathetic how 12-year old girls can claim they've found true love with a guy they hardly know. Disgusting.
Am I the only one who feels this way? Am I wrong in believing that humanity is on a path bound to self-destruction? Am I wrong in believing the world is beyond redemption? I contemplate these immoral thoughts as I log myself back into Facebook, smiling at the "friends" I hate, and pitying those I don't, while the blue and white interactive interface gradually eats away at my self-respect, slowly but surely, till I too become a shell of my former self.
Isn't this apocalypse under way already? Sans the hostility, of course. Aren't humans already at the mercy of machines? Has humanity been so consumed by greed and self-imagery, that we have forgot what it means to be really human? Pleasure used to be derived through love, entertainment, and arts. What does pleasure and fun mean today? A few thousand pixels in a luminescent screen? Books were read far and wide then. Fate would have them turn into no more than toilet paper. People have become so self-absorbed, cocooned in insecurity, contorting to the whims of sycophants.
I pity the world around me. I know people who get anxious if they're away from their smartphones for 2 minutes. I know people who mock me for not owning a phone. I know people who ridicule me for reading books. I even know a friend who asked me why I even bothered reading books in the 21st century; the importance of books are soon to be null. I sometimes wonder whether he was wise for saying so, or just extremely stupid. I am looked down upon by a group of philistines. I keep a stoical expression through it all.
To them, I'm a loser. I'm a loser because I don't have a smartphone. Because I don't have accounts in all the up and coming websites dishing out flattery in small packages. Because I don't care about my place in the midst of attention-whores. My friends and I used to have genuinely fun times when we hung out, but lately, I've been noticing the only thing they're interested in are their phones. A typical example of a snack outside with friends would be sitting at a table with all of them rapidly tapping their touchscreen, communicating with "girlfriends" they've never met, and my awkwardly watching this play out.
Does love have the same meaning today? Is it love if its online? Is it possible to feel the same amount of affection towards a person just by staring at their profile picture and exchanging a few lines of dialogue with them? I'm not an expert on romantics, but I say no. "Love". How strange. Its pathetic how 12-year old girls can claim they've found true love with a guy they hardly know. Disgusting.
Am I the only one who feels this way? Am I wrong in believing that humanity is on a path bound to self-destruction? Am I wrong in believing the world is beyond redemption? I contemplate these immoral thoughts as I log myself back into Facebook, smiling at the "friends" I hate, and pitying those I don't, while the blue and white interactive interface gradually eats away at my self-respect, slowly but surely, till I too become a shell of my former self.
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