I’m still alive

Social media hasn’t just been trying in funny ways to entice me back, it has also been nudging me to recall my previously published books, their promos, reviews, other uploaded posts, and my attempted projects. Literally, like luring me in. It is as if it is desperately trying to survive the challenges posed by the AI-dominated world, advancing to conquer like a giant tsunami. 

A couple of months ago, my younger son commented, though in an entirely different context, “Deactivating LinkedIn means I’m not alive on earth anymore, do you know that?” I understood what he really meant, but when he went on to say, “Ma, it is common to think you’ve given up on yourself, on life, which means you are nearly losing your rights to exist on earth.” I’ve also heard my young friend’s comment, “Oh, that guy must’ve committed a crime, that’s why he is ghosting, or she must have committed suicide, that’s why she is not visible,” Astonished, I’ve been deeply saddened.

I’m not even going to discuss algorithms or the number of comments, likes, or impressions like smiles or any such statistics of SM here. Also, I can’t even touch on the various other platforms I’ve never even explored – like Tick Tok. 

I’m talking only about my existence on my humble SM, and also in the real world, and the complex issues that come with the way they might connect, which I normally don’t.

Oh yes, I must add here, I’ve never, almost never shared any of my personal takes or images on life, or even my feelings, emotions, eating, sleeping, suffering from COVID, recuperating, or sickness, coughing, sneezing, dining, whining, losing dad/mom, losing hair, or any occasions of my real life on my SM. I’ve clearly kept things separate—my real life and my virtual world—using it just as a tool, in its truest sense, like many of my fellow authors do. 

I’ve often been envisioning the future, when I will no longer exist on Earth, a hundred or two hundred years from now. With my growing concerns about human life and humanity at large, I tend to also reflect: am I thinking too much, unnecessarily? 

Is the drastically decreasing humanness and humanity, proudly brought about by the virtual world created by us humans and the humanoids, going to bring chaos? 

In this context, I can’t even say—we need to wait and see. We won’t be around to witness even the beginning of that kind of major change, anyway.

Then, there is an important question, have I not benefited from SM? Of course, I’ve enjoyed several advantages of it over the past two and a half decades. Obviously. And, I’m thinking of writing about that another time, hopefully. 

But, the social media driven life isn’t even allowing me to peacefully, at my own pace, move on to my next phase of writing life, and that’s my point. It’s amusingly intriguing. Perhaps, more so because I belong to the old school that believes – my SM may belong to me, but I certainly don’t belong to it.

Whether I believe it or not, like it or not, I’m alive only if I’m present in the virtual world, at least so says SM.

Just like an elder person retired from the public sector needs to periodically produce a ‘life’ certificate to prove his existence on earth, so he can continue to receive his pension, I’m almost being pushed to regularly blog now. No, not to receive anything, but only as a way of keeping my author website active, so that it stays ‘live’, if not ‘busy’. To keep it at minimum maintenance – cost and effort wise.

With a full-time day job adding to all the chores at home, without help of any kind from any corner, it gets immensely difficult to find time for my long-time interests, let alone my new wishful activities, and yet, I have boldly chosen blog posting. Maybe, less frequently, I convince myself.

Like thinking aloud, like I freely text my thoughts, though rarely, to my closest circle, I hope to write something, unplanned, short on something that occupies me on that day or during that particular week. Only short posts. Between a few sentences and a few paragraphs on the first of every month, as long as this post, from August. And, as much as possible, depending on the luxury of time, I’m certainly, genuinely, interested in engaging in discussion/debate if one arises.

I’ve also told myself to allow for some overlap between different areas of my life – daily, personal, full-time job, passions, and writing profession—if they naturally happen, over time. 

So, folks, you will get to see more of me on SM, and the virtual world knows now, I’m not dead. At least, not yet.

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