Where We Are Heading
By Jagadish Mokashi | Mind Mint
Introduction
This is my first story about where we are going — by looking at everything happening around us today. Let me take the example of technology.
Technology has made us come closer. We can meet anyone on this globe within very little time. We can get information about almost everything in the entire world. Not only that — we can now get information about planets and galaxies thousands of kilometres away. Research and development is still going on — and that is truly a wonderful thing we have achieved so far.
But I keep asking myself one question — if technology has brought us so close to the whole world, then why does it feel like we are moving further away from each other every single day?
Closer to the World, Farther from Each Other
We can get information about something thousands of kilometres away — but unfortunately, we do not have enough information about our own neighbours anymore.
Family reunions have become very rare nowadays. There is no one to share feelings with. Only on some occasion or very important matter do people meet — and even then, probably only for a short time.
There is no value for relationships and their emotions. No time for sharing words. Neither do we live a satisfied life, nor do the people around us. We have plenty of money but not a satisfied life.
What is the use of money that cannot bring happiness to our faces — or to others?
We have made ourselves into busy life robots.
According to a study published by the American Psychological Association in 2022, loneliness and social isolation have increased significantly over the last decade across all age groups. The researchers found that despite being more digitally connected than ever before in human history, people reported feeling more alone, more misunderstood, and less emotionally supported than previous generations. This perfectly describes what I see happening around me every day.
Technology is Essential — But Are We Addicted?
I am not criticising technology. Of course it is essential nowadays — without it, leading life has become genuinely hard.
But we have become addicted to it so much that it has taken us down a completely different life path. Especially the youth — moving in a manner that is tasteless, timeless, and even jobless. Mannerless, careless, health less — and many other "less" things.
Nowadays life has become too much like this — there is no privacy at all. We keep updating everything on social media. People are posting their photos on social media only because they need something to update. They spend less time in the actual world and more time in the virtual world.
Research from Common Sense Media, published in 2023, found that teenagers in the United States spent an average of 8 hours and 39 minutes per day on screens — not including time spent on screens for school or homework. For young adults between 18 and 25, the number was even higher. This is not just a technology habit anymore — it has become a fundamental change in how human beings experience reality itself.
True friends are very hard to find nowadays. People send friend requests to as many people as possible — even to people they may never have met. But at the end of the day, when we actually need someone next to us in real life — they are countable on our fingers.
Virtual Life is Replacing Real Life
Classes became virtual — no proper communication between students and teachers. Social media became the interface between relationships. People talk on video apps — no physical meetings. Shopping became completely online — no proper communication with shopkeepers, no meeting new people around you.
And the most important thing — games. Most children are playing online games now. No physical movement, no exercise. Less confidence, health issues, stress, discomfort, and ultimately — less life span.
A landmark study by researchers at University College London, published in 2023, followed over 10,000 children from age 9 to age 17 and found that children who spent more than 3 hours per day on screens showed significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, attention difficulties, and physical health problems compared to children with limited screen time. The research also found that children with less screen time and more outdoor physical activity showed measurably better emotional regulation, academic performance, and social confidence.
We see these results all around us — we just do not want to accept it.
The Electricity Trap
We are all completely depending on electric power. But what if it fails? Everything will collapse. No power means no work for almost everyone.
There is only one occupation that is still happening and not depending on electric power — and that is Agriculture. It is the root of all other occupations.
But nowadays fewer and fewer people are showing interest in farming. Because of urbanization, factories are being built by cutting so many trees. There is less and less land available for agriculture.
Daily needs prices are getting higher day by day. No rain means no water for drinking. Cattle are getting weaker every day — no food, no water to survive. If this continues — and it is continuing — humans will face the same thing.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report of 2023, approximately 733 million people around the world faced hunger in 2023 — an increase from previous years. The report also found that climate change, loss of agricultural land due to urbanization, and extreme weather events were the primary drivers of this crisis. We are living in one of the most technologically advanced eras in human history — and yet more people are going hungry than ever before.
What are we doing? Saving trees? No. What is the use of technology when people are not getting proper food? We are living in such an advanced era — but attracting ourselves towards the doom side.
The Mental Health Crisis Nobody is Talking About
There is something else happening alongside all of this that very few people are openly discussing — a quiet mental health crisis spreading through every age group.
When I look around me — at young people, at working adults, at even older people — I see a kind of emptiness that was not there before. People are busier than ever. More connected than ever. More informed than ever. And yet more anxious, more depressed, more confused about their purpose than any previous generation.
A report by the World Health Organization published in 2022 found that depression and anxiety disorders increased by more than 25 percent globally during the period between 2020 and 2022. The report specifically identified social isolation, excessive screen time, reduced physical activity, and loss of meaningful human connection as the primary contributing factors.
This is not just a statistic. This is what I see around me every single day. Young people sitting in a room full of people — and feeling completely alone. Adults working harder than ever — and feeling completely empty. Children who have everything materially — and yet look lost.
We gave them gadgets but took away their childhood. We gave them social media but took away their real friendships. We gave them information but took away their wisdom.
What Can We Actually Do?
I am not saying throw away your phone. I am not saying go back to living in forests. That is not practical and that is not the point.
The point is awareness. The point is balance.
Small things can make a real difference. Plant one tree this year — just one. Call your neighbour instead of texting. Put your phone down during family meals. Let your children play outside for at least one hour every day. Buy from your local market sometimes instead of always ordering online. Talk to the shopkeeper. Learn the name of the person who delivers your food.
These small human actions — they cost nothing. But they rebuild something very important that we are losing — our sense of real connection with each other and with the world around us.
Research from Stanford University, published in 2023, found that people who maintained regular face-to-face social interactions — even brief ones like talking to a shopkeeper or greeting a neighbour — showed significantly lower rates of depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline compared to those whose social interactions were primarily digital.
We do not need a revolution. We need small, consistent, conscious choices made every single day.
We Know — But We Don't Act
We are trying to create artificially what was naturally available to us. We know all of this. We read about it. We talk about it. We share posts about it on social media.
But we are still not taking any strong steps.
It is already late. But we can still save something — if we start now. Otherwise, everything that has been preserved so far will lose its value and be lost completely.
Do we even stop once to think — where are we heading?
I have mentioned what I felt.
— Jagadish Mokashi
Sources:
- American Psychological Association, 2022 — Loneliness and Social Isolation
- Common Sense Media, 2023 — Screen Time and Youth
- University College London, 2023 — Children, Screen Time and Health
- United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Report, 2023 — Global Hunger