Why We Owe It To Ourselves To Spend Peaceful Time Alone Every Day

It took capitalism and humanity less than 50 years to wreak havoc on our planet.  The condition of our ecosystems, both on land and in water is despicable as everyone knows. Humans are the only species responsible for the widespread destruction of habitats. All of this happened because there is an unchecked desire to have the most wealth and leisure.

The global warming and danger to animals and ecosystems alike was the natural byproduct of this senseless competition; but it was much more subtle than you’d have thought. And that’s why here we are, in the second decade of the 21st century trying to understand where we went wrong vis-à-vis our planet.

However, there is another destruction at work and we are as oblivious about it as we were with our environment. This time the damage is much closer to home. This time, it’s our own mental peace and inner self are at stake. In this world of digital connectivity, we might have come within the texting distance of everyone on the planet, but we have certainly distanced ourselves from our own mental integrity.

We are always on our phones or laptops. Any moment that is not used in some form of productivity or leisure activity. If we are not checking our work mails or other apps, we are refreshing our Instagram or Snapchat or Facebook feeds. There are just so many things to do that you can take your pick and you wouldn’t even know where hours and days go.

However, such a behavior is dangerous for our own well-being. The kind of fast paced, technologically dependent life that we are living leaves little or no space for introspection and contemplation. We have become so used to stimulation of one kind or the other that we have forgotten how it is to be on our own. It is very scary to think that we have no time for us, for our minds. It is imperative that changes in the current lifestyle be made which take into account our mental well being as well.

* In schools, students should be given a 15-20 minutes period of complete silence, where they can take a break from their classes and their peers. This will give them time to recuperate for fresh learning.

* College students could be offered a course per semester which focuses on introspection. This need not be exclusive from their major. Instead of being assigned more work they could simply be asked to reflect on what they have learned so far.

* Every workplace should have a quiet room where technology of any kind is banned. Employees can come there and relax and recharge their mind.

* Families should try to inculcate a gadget free and technology free hour where all the family members can sit together and just talk.

* Every individual should strive to reduce their dependence on technology as much as possible.

These changes are very crucial if we want to retain our sanity. Otherwise it might get too late and we would find ourselves at a point of no return.