I was sitting and waiting for my school bus to arrive. Two women hurriedly dashed out of the lift and ran towards their children. Both exclaimed: “You forgot your tablet.” I was amazed at the bizarre coincidence. When I looked further, I saw an iPad in the first woman’s hand. However, nothing in the second woman’s hand. I laughed to myself thinking that she has forgotten to bring the device while coming down. Just then – she handed over a small pill to her child and instructed him to eat the same. The scene I just witnessed intrigued me. It struck me how modern day’s reality has come down to these two tablets. People have become obsessed with the usage of the screens in whatever. We are simply glued to it, day in and day out. It is sad to see that children these days prefer to play a game on a device, rather than spend time with friends outdoors. Family gatherings and trips have come down to only clicking pictures and posting them online. We might have hundreds of friends on social media but are not even acquainted with the person living next door. Even if the eyes are strained and the hand is tired, we are trying to browse online to kill time. Our lifestyle leaves us with no choice than to take the second tablet. Most of us do not find time to exercise or follow a fitness regime. Prioritizing the use of the gadgets, we fall short of time to cook healthy food at home; we look out for easier alternatives and lead in to the temptation of discounts on take-away and order out. All these result in various health issues and necessitate regular medication. What is all this leading us to? Take some time to ponder and control the use of ‘the screen’.
- The reader is a teacher at a Dubai school.
