Arianna Huffington, the founder of The Huffington Post and Thrive Global, wrote an open letter to India on our relationship with technology prior to her town-hall session in Mumbai on 3rd January 2018.
Here are the key takeaways from her letter:
Re-examine and Recalibrate our Relationship with Technology
...being available and “on” 24/7 and having our attention controlled by something other than ourselves — all these come at a great cost.
She began by addressing the cat in the bag by asking all of us to re-examine and recalibrate our relationship with technology. “Constantly checking emails, losing ourselves down the rabbit holes of social media, sleeping with our phones next to us or tucked in bed with us, immediately taking out our phones when there’s a moment of pause in our day, answering texts or calls while we are having dinner with friends or family, being available and “on” 24/7 and having our attention controlled by something other than ourselves — all these come at a great cost. They are all signs that our relationship with technology is undermining our humanity. It’s not sustainable, it’s not healthy, and it’s driving the pace of our lives beyond our capacity to cope, and robbing us of the time we need to recharge and reconnect with ourselves”, says Arianna.
Condition and Impact of Technology on the Health of Indian Youth
While addressing this issue of our relationship with technology, she draws points on the condition and impact of technology on Indian Youth. She accentuates the impact of technology on the health of India youth. “The number of people being treated for mobile phone addiction has spiked between 75 and 100% in the last year alone, mostly among young people in the age group of 13-24.
A recent study showed that 65% of Indians between 22-25 years old show signs of depression, while 25% of teens (13-15 years old) suffer from depression.
At the heart of this dramatic increase in stress and mental health problems is our relationship with technology, which is feeding our obsession with being always on – an obsession which has led to exhaustion and fatigue becoming the top health concern among adults in India.”, says Ms Arianna.
Find Solution in India’s age-old traditions and wisdom
Huffington then mentioned that the solution to this problem was within India’s age-old traditions and wisdom. “India has unique resources to meet all these challenges. Its ancient wisdom and spiritual traditions are now at the centre of a global conversation about what it means to live a good life. And the truth and power of India’s centuries-old philosophy on life is increasingly and conclusively validated by modern science. Scientific discoveries about the connection between well-being and performance are enough to convince even the most sceptical, secular societies to embrace the knowledge embedded in Indian culture for centuries: the power of meditation, yoga, contemplation and compassion to change our lives and our world” .
Arianna also mentioned that she truly believes that, India has the answers to what she sees as the biggest question of our time: how we work and live in an age when change is exponentially faster and technology has permeated every aspect of our lives. She hopes that India can take the lead in answering this question.
This is why she is keen to engage the Indian millennials to embrace this tradition and hear from them their opinion on the issue. She also mentions her belief at millennials who will implement these solutions and design the future.
Also Read: Women in the Workplace: Is Marriage the Point of Contention?
Reshma Ganeshbabu is an intern with SheThePeople.TV.
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