Daily Times

In our Internet obsessed world, the focus and attention is diverted all the time. An average person divides his 5-minute span, between working on a task, chatting with friends (via watsapp, instagram, snap chat and managing tweets) and interacting with social environment. Kids are also taken over by gadgets, unlimited television programs and games. This has caused a severe attention deficit disorder. It starts from inattention and later leads to hyperactivity and impulsivity.

Ironically while television and video games capture a child’s focus for hours, they erode a child’s focus ability. Unfortunately in our case the story does not end here. The family activity on weekend is just dining out,even the family outing has become a consumer activity.

Entertainment cycle moves from one commodity to another one. If one goes out to any restaurant on weekend, each one of it is jam packed like sardines. What we consider relaxation, is not a genuine relaxation in true sense. When we are in our own environment, it allows us to relax more. Its good to dine out on special occasions, but in Lahorie culture eating out has become a social phobia.

This phenomenal culture of eating out is actually not due to lack of activities. It is due to society’s mindset of consumerism. This effect is accumulating. The sale on designer lawns turn to be a quest for life, women standing in scorching heat just to be the first one to grab the stock. The luxuries have become necessities. Among all this consumerism of selecting, securing, usage of services and products, the learning process.

Learning and self actualization is no where. It has such a cultivating effect that the expenses are made on, food, clothes and hi -technology gadget updating. The trend travels from the upper most to lower economic class.

The love for learning and reading books got buried in these materialistic sand storm. The joy of reading is not there, as everybody is in a rush and is more interested in acquiring something to show off. There are many economic development indicators, just like this there are few mental development indicators. Reading books, sharing ideas, spending family time and acceptance of innovation is one of them. The long queues inside restaurants, shopping malls and boutiques shows direction of society. It has created contagious effect where all is catching it like flu

Book stores are closing down rapidly. Its not just the closure of book stores, it is an indicator of our wrong priorities, where knowledge comes in the last. Eventually it is leading towards a situation where people are obsessed with the glittery world. Intellect and ideas will die out due to lack of nourishment. As they say “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once”.

Just a grab a book this Sunday, read it to your kids and your family. Try to make reading a bed-time ritual with kids, do it at least twice a week. In your social group meeting share any of your favorite prose or poetry. A book club is hardly found. Like social groups on watsapp make a book club too, where you can refer books or articles to each other. Enjoy dining out and shopping but add books also, to this list. Gift books and colors to the children of your domestic staff.

These steps will lead to the betterment of our next generation. They will inherit the precious island of knowledge. A lecture on book reading is of no good as children learn by observation. Take a step otherwise we will be stuck on the whirlpool of materialism and will be a victim of greed. Try to enter the world of books its bedazzling.

As Rumi said “There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled. There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled. You feel it don’t you?

Nabiha Shahram is a children’s right activist and a former educationist