THIS postivism expressed by a leading surgeon in response to the last week’s ‘Loud Thinking’ certainly adds a sense of hope that things may assume a reasonable form in due course of time. Despite that, however, one needs to struggle to come to terms with the unavoidable reality that at least for some time, we may have to bear with our kids staring at their computer or tab or mobile screens as a part of their on-line learning at home. This helplessness has a sickening side, no doubt. Frankly, however, we must not complain.

 

For, until this coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of our schools for whatever length of time, a majority among us prided in talking about how our kids are taking to computers and how their screen-time is on a constant increase. True, a few of us did express concern about this addiction. But the larger portions of our society did not mind our kids getting addicted to screens. In fact, many many people among us felt happy that the adults were not being bothered by the kids seeking reasonable occupation of their free time. In other words, the larger society had welcomed mobile or computer screens occupying our time and attention -- well beyond reasonable levels. So horrible has the situation been that even at dinner table, many members of the family sit staring into their respective mobile sets without any communication among them. Even in restaurants and clubs, husbands and wives are seen handling their respective cell-phones without speaking a word with each other.

 

If that is so, why are we complaining now? We must ask this question to ourselves. Factually, we must have no complaints. Yet, we have complaints. That is simply so because we have begun realising for the first time the negative dimensions of keeping our kids engaged in front of electronic screens regularly for hours -- under compulsion. This element of compulsion is the cause of our repulsion -- which we must recognise. For otherwise, we have rarely made efforts to wean our kids away from their screens. Until the on-line classes became compulsory, we never felt that we were ourselves pushing our kids into this ubiquitous addiction. Seen from this angle, we must realise that our complaints are fake -- and border on uncalled for negativism.

 

As for myself, I harbour no misunderstanding on this issue. Even when everybody was turning a blind eye to the problem of screen-addiction and its terrible after-effects, I kept insisting that we must keep mobile sets and tabs etc away from our children’s reach. I campaigned relentlessly against youngsters keeping away until godforsaken hours into the pre-dawn hours staring at their screens, spoiling their eyes and their heads that got filled in with wrong notions and ideas. I am, therefore, happy that the larger society is realising the dangers of the kids spending long hours in front of electronic screens. My appeal to all, therefore, is simple: Please understand the issue in correct perspective -- and stop making fake complaints.