This 15th August, as the country celebrates its Independence day, I would have more than one reason to celebrate my freedom. It would be 6 months of freedom from facebook. I am sure some might ask - "Facebook never held you hostage, you opted for it, why complain about it? ". Well, I would say the same holds good for the country too, we "invited" others to rule us. I know its a little too far-fetched analogy. :)
How have these 6 months been? I must say that I have felt extremely relieved. I have been cycling a lot since then, also meeting up with a lot of interesting people, mind you - real people and not the virtual ones; playing a lot of cricket, listening to some good music, learnt writing kannada, watched a series of kannada films(especially Appu-centric) and have been performing better in my professional life. More than anything else, I am less bothered about others' lives and in those time space, I have been reflecting a lot. I have been able to respond to some of the more serious challenges of life more rationally and less emotionally. Bottomline - I have been doing better. :)
What have I missed? Too many birthdays. Also too many updates of others' lives. Who's getting engaged, who are the neo-parents, who had been to where for what and so on.. And yes, I have gladly miss a forum to brag about myself. :)
The curiosity of trying to track how many people visit and read my blog hasn't left me yet. I feel a little low about the visitors count and stats. I also feel glad that when an acquaintance with whom I had spoken to 6 years back pings me out of the blue, and shares that he loved reading my posts. Neither of this is a good feeling. Its the same social need that Facebook exploits with its all its "likes". Its time I get over this and write for myself. But as they say - Let not the perfect become the enemy of the good.
Happy Independence Day to all !
Hey Rajesh,
ReplyDeleteVery nice to see that you are actively exploring the world (the real one!) with new activities and meeting new people - I'm sure it's better than keeping track of a few important updates drowned in thousands of pointless ones on facebook.
I do read most of your posts but am passive when it comes to commenting. It's likely there are more like me. So, don't worry too much about visitor counts and such.
Wishing you many new experiences on your travels!
Shreekanth
I quit facebook in March and I am yet to miss it! :D
ReplyDeleteI understand the freedom you talk of. I have never been very widely read on my blog but ever so once in a while someone tells me they enjoy what I write and my heart tends to soar.
I do believe I write for myself. But unknowingly, we take along a lot of people on this ride of ours. And that is still worth it :)