This very simple statement "Which story do you prefer?" has left a great impact in the movie "Life of Pi". Primarily because the statement is strong enough to make an adventurous movie a suspense one and more importantly, it makes us "think". Yes, in today's era of smartphones, computers and media, if something is there which we do very less, is thinking. This is because even our thoughts and perceptions are biased due to overdose of information lying anywhere and everywhere. Media such as TV, news, print media have always had an impact on the general public since ages. But, what has now changed is their "reach" to us due to the newly built ocean of information everywhere around us. This reminds me of one of the very well known poems "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
"Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink."
The current situation is no different, we have a huge ocean of information all around us and this can be attributed to the fast pace growth of technologies such as smartphones, internet etc. which have given all that was there in your PC and was there on TV, right into your hands. So, eventually the media and the people who can control the perceptions of the public have become even more strengthened.
Hence, the question "Which story do you prefer?" holds a great value because more than ever before this is the time when your perceptions and preferences need to be your own, you need to think and decide what your preferences are, to do that we really need to "think" and observe the happenings of our surroundings; otherwise as I said it is easy for "those" people to guide your thoughts, your ideas, your perceptions and your preferences as per "their" comfort.
Hence, the question "Which story do you prefer?" holds a great value because more than ever before this is the time when your perceptions and preferences need to be your own, you need to think and decide what your preferences are, to do that we really need to "think" and observe the happenings of our surroundings; otherwise as I said it is easy for "those" people to guide your thoughts, your ideas, your perceptions and your preferences as per "their" comfort.
So, the question prevails. . . .
"Which story do YOU prefer?"
awesome, mind blowing itna achha likh kaise leta hai ;) :)
ReplyDelete@Neetin: Didn't have anything else to do .. :P
ReplyDeletereminds of latest shashi tharoor's tweet which said about a PTI reporter reading 20 new IIiT's as 20 new IIT's and creating a hoax everywhere..!! the question does prevails....
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Technology has made us lethargic not only physically but also psychologically. It is slowly making us "think" less.
ReplyDeleteVery well written! There indeed is a need for us to be more specifically informative rather than just being an input and output channel for day to day information flood.
ReplyDelete@Amit: We sure have to realise the need of 'thinking', else as stated above by anonumous, we would end up just being the receptor for information all around us without knowing which of is correct or false, unnerved by the fact that it affects us directly.
ReplyDeleteVery true about using our perception and preferences to think and decide.
ReplyDeleteI would say, we are buried beneath the weight of information, which is being confused with knowledge, quantity is being confused with abundance and wealth with happiness. in short we are monkeys with money and guns. :D
@Ajeet: Indeed we are buried beneath the loads of information but if that is misunderstood as knowledge, that would be a grave mistake !! I liked the "monkeys with money and guns" part !! :D
ReplyDelete