My recent visit to Kolkata gave me enough time to ponder. It was a pause that offered me a sense of control over my thoughts, even if it was minimal. I like documenting my journey and have recently recorded some thoughts I'm keen on sharing.
On Media
This has been my favourite subject of wonder for quite sometime now. I had also penned a phrase quoted by Krish Ashok in one of the podcasts regarding how as a society we are transitioning from "Community of Situation to Community of Choice". I approach media with the same caution as one might with caffeine or alcohol, aware of its nature. When you are young, you have the energy to absorb a lot with few negative effects, but as we age, our ability wanes, diminishing the capacity to juggle numerous endeavours.
During a cab ride, I had a chat with my friend on the same topic. Media is like appreciating the craftsmanship of a knife, which can be skilfully used to prepare chicken or, in contrast, misused to cause harm. Just as one would exercise caution when giving a knife to a child, highlighting its potential dangers, a similar caution applies to media consumption.
The One-Stop Medium: A Genuine Fear
I used to be a huge advocate of One-Stop solution, akin to shopping at a supermarket where everything is available in one place. However, over time, such platforms have started to concern me. I thought of potential repercussions if my chosen platform is not ideal, or if my heavy reliance on a single medium leads to a situation where, if it fails, I lose access to all my resources.
Ironically, while composing this post, which supposedly has an auto-save feature, I couldn't retrieve the draft version for quite sometime with above error :)Â
It's becoming clear that I need to create backups, even for the content I post on platforms where I don't have control over the data.
I appreciate libraries for similar reasons. They offer a space where I can concentrate on one piece of content at a time, yet have access to a wide array within the same environment. While some books might not be to my taste and others might be excellent, I have greater control over choosing what I want to read.
Unlearning Mental Habits
I realised I often judged people too much based on their ideologies. People evolve over time. Sheela Rashid is one live example. It's becoming increasingly important to separate individuals from their viewpoints(On a lighter note: something Parakala Prabhakar likely practices to maintain harmony in his personal life!). Instead of focusing solely on someone's political beliefs, we should prioritise enhancing our critical thinking skills and our capacity to distinguish between facts and fiction, my cousin always points it out. These insights extend to AI as well. Although I was once(even now a little!?) enthusiastic about AI's potential to outthink humans, it's important to remember that it's still a human creation. It is still a one-stop medium. In the wrong hands, the neural connections it fosters could lead to dire consequences over judgement.