Lost in cyberspace

Over fifty years ago, I recall birthday at school. Yes, I am a little over sixty years today, yet it seems like yesterday. We used to carry toffees to give out to the principal, teachers, and student friends.  A convent school where we were allowed to discard the uniform and wear colored dresses. A day when you feel exceptional and all the children are especially kind to you. You genuinely believed that today was your “special day.” Forward to this day,  now we are on the social media era. Birthday alerts that appear as a result of your social networking profile information are followed by compulsory greetings and kind words, to the point where the true meaning of those heartfelt expressions of affection are lost.

Travel arrangements for the yearly vacation would be made well in advance, complete with train reservations and train concession from schools. It was typically the native village, and the anticipation would only grow as D-day got closer. Forward to this day,  now details about the trip, including detailed itenary is shared across platforms.  Inputs received from those who share their experiences added to the travel docket. An well planned  travel journal where the thrill of the voyage has been lost somewhere. Family gatherings have lost their original purpose because social media posts now happen practically real time. They have lost touch with the connection that brought them together in the first place.

Personal milestones with images and family reunions on social media are the blueprint of your life, and it doesn’t need  a genius but total stranger to paint your life (past, present, and future). He will undoubtedly gain from the activity, but it will leave you bewildered and lost in cyberspace.

If life is what we represent it to be with the perfect lighting, composition, and editing, then the period before the invention of this “screen” was far better. There was no façade to put on for the public to see, so it was surely much more authentic because it wasn’t as fast-paced as it is now.

There are some positive aspects to this open book growth, it does have certain advantages. With the stroke of a button, it is possible to instantly share information throughout the globe as well as thoughts and knowledge. Despite its drawbacks, it may be a platform for positive change with countless benefits. It may be improved upon and reformed. As parents climb the age ladder, the ability to connect with loved ones (children) across continents and time zones in order to see them every day is undoubtedly a blessing.

Every excellent innovation has a downside, just like a coin has two sides to it. It is up to us to make the most of its advantages and make sure that the drawbacks don’t ruin our lives.

Its at the click of this button that I am able to share my thoughts here that reach so many people , many of who I don’t even know.  

 

Mystery Island

Location: A condo balcony on the 7th floor facing the beautiful Ontario Lake in downtown Toronto.

Mood: Upbeat, where imagination runs wild. The dreamer in me watches the island across the lake and wonders who lives there?

The Trip: A ferry ride with locals, city dwellers, and tourists gets me to the island. What follows is diagonally opposite of what I imagined.

The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario, south of mainland Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A group of islands just across the downtown area of Toronto. It also houses the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and plenty of yacht clubs.

Huge green spaces, serene and peaceful. If you wish for some activity there is plenty for the kids and if you wish for the sand, there are the beaches. The community that lives there is cut off from the city yet just a boat ride close to the city. A great balance I would think.

A popular tourist and recreational destination. Cycling, Kayaking, or Golfing. It’s yours to choose. Personally, I would bask under a sun umbrella, on a comfortable Muskoka chair, watch the clouds glide, and hear the chirping birds and hyperactive squirrels prance in a world of their own. Maybe read a book or better still write stories or poetries. Nature has its way of giving you cues on what to write about and helping a flow of words that so effortlessly come from the heart.

A day for me at that Mystery island was no more a mystery. It’s a world of its own. It’s a space where you can just be yourself, do as you please, and return home as the sun sets or later only to go back there when the heart and mind need a nature break.

I am glad, thanks to my kids I had my day out on the island. The future is a blank page, I may not be around this part of the city to hop on to a boat and take the trip to my mystery land. Glad I did it now and glad I solved the mystery that will forever be a part of my sweet memories of downtown Toronto.

Life has its ways of throwing you opportunities like a rope flung at you from the sky. Grab it, hold on to it, and let it take you places, nooks, and corners of our wonderful world. Never let go of that rope for you never know, it may not come your direction for a long time.

Cheers to trips – long or short for this is what adds up as chapters that make a life!