Hobbies

Times have changed. Not too long back, before computers became the norm in our daily lives, most people would list their hobbies as reading books, fishing, football, sports, collecting stamps (???), etc etc. The point is the focus is more on tangible things and things which we do with our hands & legs. Nowadays hobbies include things like chatting on the internet, surfing the internet, playing computer games and other things computer related. Basically now most hobbies revolve around the computer or internet. We have evolved into a lazy species progressively from being active people to coach potatoes (stuck to the television) and now to the computer. Only difference from being glued to the television than the computer is the content which we get to choose to see on the computer. Hence the copious amount of time we spend sitting in front of the computer doing all those things we love to do on it. On the extreme end, online gamers get so involved in online games that their real lives take a toll. Their girlfriends get fed-up and leave them, they eat and sleep little thus suffering from various symptoms produced by this mania.

This obsession with the internet has also filtered through to the corporate world where we see almost every major corporation around the world relying in one way or another on computers or the internet. I'm not saying that it's bad or anything because it has made the way in which business is more efficient and effective. However it has also replaced conventional methods like face to face meetings/discussions and the traditional pen and paper. The email has in turn become a mask from which we can hide ourselves, edited and spell checked before the Send button is clicked. Everything request and memo needs to be emailed to everyone involved so that it can appear in black n white. From top management where meetings are no conducted through video conversations to lower level staff sending short memos to each other when they can easily walk over to the other person's cubicle and relay the message or ask the question. Whatever happened to good old fashioned discussions at the staff water-cooler or break room. This is where conversations are spontaneous and impromptu and it also fosters closer working ties among colleagues. Instead we choose to hide behind the cold hard wall of emails. So the next time you send an email or choose to use the computer for entertainment, think again. Move your ass and maybe have a warm meaningful exchange of words with someone or maybe just do something different with your hands for a change.


Have a cuppa...