Co-existence

Of late I have been hearing the term ‘old school’ being used to categorize the digitally less savvier segment of living human beings. I find myself to be in a very unique and niche space of being on neither extremes and hence always wondered what’s really wrong with being old school.

The divide between the old school and being the so called ‘new generation’ is in more ways than one, a figment of technology. Technology has always co-existed with humans in every generations. The only difference is today's times is that it is probably more affordable. In an erstwhile era we had Electricity, Fans, Televisions, Land-line Phones, Scooters, Planes, Trains, Buses and Cars. What we really availed in those times depended on what we could afford. Some traveled long distances in 3 hours by planes while others still spent 3 days travelling by train to cover the same distance. They still relished the experience of spending a good long journey with family and with the ones they met during the travel.

What rapidly changing technology today tries to do is to minimize the ‘stretch’ involved in availing a service or making a commercial transaction. Having said that all faculties need to coherently work for us to do so. There are instances when despite having all applications on the phone, for want of good mobile connectivity, we not be able to transact on a real-time basis. The digital life 'on-the-go' is still a work in progress.

Some people who we call the ‘old generation’ still prefer that extra-stretch in doing things as it occupies their time and helps them chose the right product by looking and feeling it or availing a service talking to a person across a service desk. Whatever technology helps you do better, there will always be an element of stretch - big or small. The only difference being the definition of what the need is and what the associated stretch entails.

So next time you see someone not using a phone don’t underestimate the person. They just have chosen to be as physically existent and alive as they can be and there is nothing really wrong in that. We all still relish that much needed break from our otherwise highly digital and connected lives and find solace in nature largess, keeping our phones and laptops away.

Let us hence learn to accept and respect the co-existence of the born-digital, the digital immigrants and of-course the very relevant physically existent.