I found myself standing at the cliff of a mountain, unfathomable and ethereal, wondering how God had created such a perfect symphony with colours, views and beauty. The scene looked absolutely luminous. The sun was setting, spilling the light and warmth across the valley, making the view serene and whole.
The cliff of the mountain where I was standing felt like a small part of heaven that had just arrived by the blessing of God, from where I could witness such a primordial sight. The molten horizon and the amber-washed valley from where the sun looked like the goddess of love. For a moment, I was totally lost looking at such miraculous scenery.
I looked around, and for a tiny bit of a moment, I realised that there were some other people standing at that very scene, viewing the beauty with their naked eyes, but wait, I just noticed an uncanny thing. The cameras, tripods, and phones were all over the place. Are they filming this still beauty so they can keep it as a memory for a lifetime, or do they just want to show it to the people who could not witness such a radiant view? I was stunned for a while. My hand slipped through my pocket, and I realised my camera was there, untouched. I had not captured a single shot. I was so invested in that moment that I forgot to make it to my best shots’ album. Was it concerning? Have I missed something important? Was it necessary? Questions began to arise in my mind as if I had just committed an offence, simply because the sun had already set.
For a moment, I kind of regretted that I did not experience the scene before my eyes, and I can no longer see what I have just beheld. The moment that was supposed to be lived through the naked eye was being captured and shot on artificial tools to preserve the view for a longer period, but I realised it is not worthwhile. What I have already spotted with my eyes could never be captured in any sort of lens. This world is too artificial to witness such a moment, and this realisation made me think about my entire existence, where we are recording each passing moment just to “preserve” or “post” it. The idea of recording moments and later feeling their taste is just too replicated and programmed. The fear I felt for a few seconds made me wonder why people are in such a hurry to capture every single thing. Fear has been instilled within our brains because the embarrassment that we could not post what we enjoyed or saw is merely a feeling introduced by the new generation and is now becoming a habit.
“The moment should be lived rather than captured.”
The reason why this digitised generation is readily recording each and every episode, moment and piece of their life is to register their very existence into something that is merely an illusion. The world of fantasy has made us so unrealistic that we prefer to absorb the beauties of the creator without realising that living that moment would be priceless.
Over time, the perception and definition of beauty have undergone significant changes. People are in haste to impress each other with their belongings and possessions. This performative generation should not be called Gen Z or Alpha; it should rather be called Gen Artificial because everything is either unreal or influenced. The moments that go unnoticed or uncaptured do not really qualify to become extravagant because this generation could not keep a record of them. The realisation of missing important events or scenes is just a big regret for this ultra-fast generation.
The matter isn’t only restricted to the new generation, but now they have successfully transferred this idea into the old minds. The joy of capturing and impressing has reached an unlimited level. We can never truly appreciate the creations of our worthy creator without feeling them with our own senses. The craze of posting on social media is another big concern of this generation. The bragging game is reaching new levels where there is an unannounced race of being number one as if they are going to receive an honour medal for this.
In haste to find postable things, people have made their lives “content”. The memories are fading; the photographs are ruling. Every day, the internet emerges victorious with this type of content, neglecting the serene beauty of life in favour of such documented experiences. Life has lost its meaning and presence in the race of publicly acclaimed material. This world is losing its real essence and getting ignored for worldly things. The reality is being overshadowed by these unreal media fragments, which only stay temporarily. The meaning of “permanent” has been replaced by likes, comments and shares. All people want is a good number of followers, admirers and viewers to see what they have filmed out of splendid pieces of life.
The sad part is that there is no realisation of the illusion we have been chasing. Life is giving us ample opportunities, yet we are busy posting and capturing what feels good only for a few hours. This artificial life and the rush to film and record moments in order to be liked are ruining the soul of life. Mainstream life is far more interesting than an artificial imitation of it. The sooner we realise the “discipline of presence,” the better it is for our lives.