OUT WITH OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
HAPPY NEW YEAR
To replace the furniture in a lounge, we need to move the old stuff out and then move the new stuff in. Similarly, in a time limited life-years of humans, we also need to purge, remove or replace the piled up old things and create rooms for new ideas by letting go of these things. To leave old things or old ideas behind and start fresh with new things or ideas doesn’t mean that old is a waste. It also does not mean any sort of disrespect for the wisdom of older people. All it means is that we need to leave old regrets, old ideas and theories behind and evolve to new ideas and changes that are comparatively better than before and capable enough to create a positive and progressive environment all around.
For execution of all these changes, there needs to be a timeline and the beginning of New Year, which is synonymous with the need to make resolutions, is an opportune time to bring forth such positive changes. However, in the midst of times wherein things are moving at the speed of light and changes are happening every other day, the charm of setting resolutions on the eve of New Year is fading. Most of the people have forgotten to breathe in this dog-eat-dog world as things are changing at a breakneck speed.
Apart from our lives, the dawn of New Year is also the right time to take stock of our surroundings. Taking stock of our surroundings not only means taking care of our environment by planting trees, taking anti-pollution measures and saving natural resources but in a digitalised world with cutting edge technology, it also means keeping track of the various social platforms. The influence of social media is increasing every day and over the last two decades it has developed as a main source of information for a huge percentage of world's population. The social media might be connecting us virtually but it has an unlimited potential of gathering the masses and influencing the society, their opinions, choices and beliefs on every topic imaginable. It is a powerful and meaningful tool for social change because of its ability to rally support and unite users during moments, call for donations and share important information. In fact, no news of importance on social media cools down without proper discussion.
However, in the process of discussion, sometimes social media can get out of the user's control and can lead to problems such as drama, bullying, trolling, harassment, and much more. This malaise could be the by-product of an ungodly amount of time spent on social media, wasting time on non-productive issues and dissecting something out of nothing instead of utilising time, idea and energy in fixing what’s actually wrong. Not only this, but some notorious and anti-social elements, all for their selfish motives, deliberately use social media as a tool to spread hatred, increase violence and create communal disharmony. This exposes the youth to a darker side of social media which one way or the other takes a toll on person’s mental health over time.
As the saying goes, ‘what you become is an upshot of what surrounds you and subsequently what you choose to surround yourself with’, the dawn of New Year is the right time to choose one’s surroundings especially the social media which has become an all-new world for majority of people. Rather than being obsessed with the virtual world and getting addicted to the social media, we need to maintain balance between the virtual and real world. On the eve of New Year, let us all pledge to use social media meaningfully, positively, judiciously and more importantly, purposefully so that we are able to be at peace with ourselves and our colleagues.
Dr. Pawan Suri
Director & Chief Cardiologist
Global Hospital, Jalandhar
email: psuricardio@gmail.com
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