The Comfort Zone: Development or Evolution

The very mention of the year 2020 brings shiver down the spine. Six more months to go and the sanguinity that 2021 will be a blessed year with normalcy. Our perceptions about the kind of life we should have depends on our comfort zones. Have we not come out of our comfort zones earlier and evolved ourselves to the’ New Normalcy’ in the past as well?

People born in the twentieth century have seen a great deal of transition in every walk of life. Charlie Chaplin’s Motion Pictures to East Man color movies were a treat to our Grandparents and Great grandparents. In 1980’s we grew up watching colored movies. Never had I thought that for 2000 born 3, 4 or 5 D movies would be a normal deal! Similarly, we are fortunate to have witnessed the musical era of Audio tapes with films, CDs, DVDs, Mp3-4, blue tooth speakers and such endless devices. From Doordarshan National Telecast on Television to Satellite and now Netflix and Star World, haven’t we watched all these!

Our school lives were not as comfortable as we see for the present generation. Blackboard was the only teaching aid. We could never imagine that there could be smart boards and projectors in the class rooms. Text books without pictures or glossy pages were very bland visually too. Paper pen to online exams, we have attempted all. Electricity for 8 hours during the school hours was a dream which never came true. Two fans were the only respite and we would keep setting the regulator to the maximum number for air. Rickshaws or overfull school bus with windows open welcoming hot air was the mode of transportation. No Reeboks or Adidas, Canvas shoes was what we wore on sports day and Bata Black shoes on other school days. Though simple yet it was an exciting life. Exchanging homemade tiffins during the lunch break and playing lots of games in the sports period made us feel that we had the best of both the worlds.

Half a century back, landline telephone connections, dialing each number to be connected through the telephone operator was a status symbol enjoyed only by the privileged. Now a days, mobile phones with a variety of smart features is a necessity carried by one and all. A pocket watch to wrist watch, manual to battery operated with the latest smart watches, we born in this century have seen all. Khadi, hand work to readymade and branded luxury designer closets with bags, shoes and apparels, witnessed all and tried a few.

Deadly diseases, epidemics and gradually curable treatments. Wars- Civil, Nuclear and World; devastations and reconstructions, falling and thriving economies, disintegration of nations and formation of new. Many sages, saints and self- proclaimed Gurus. As a human race, we have perceived, adapted and evolved along with the things, events and people.

But have we evolved as humans or degenerated ourselves? E- newspaper has replaced the printed one but the news pertaining darker face of human kind has inflamed multifariously. Murders, Rapes, Abuse, Nepotism, Racial discrimination, Gender inequality are a few on the list. It is indeed a decay as a human race. A huge bridge has evolved between our aspirations and reality leading to chaos and unrest in individuals. Though this was the century of Social transformation with progression yet Holistic development is still a far -fetched dream. Reaching the Moon or touching Mars isn’t holistic growth. We have advanced tremendously in various fields but do we call this progression? Evolution as a human race is still to be touched. A society free of any wrongs and prejudices will be the eventual progression.