Ghosts! Are they gone from stories for good?

Ghosts! These seem to have disappeared from the chats, fables and literature we have grown up reading. The entities we grew up listening stories about, have gone missing in the digital age. Rather, the term is now used in senses that depict our fears. But the once close-to-living-physical entity, the ghost, is no longer around!

In the just-pre-internet age, we were more into reading and watching the relatively new-entrant cable TV. The books and magazine still touched upon tales that talked of the supernatural. The television channels showed stories that aroused horror. The evening talks still had something to discuss that was mysterious and supernatural.

It's 2021. The biggest ghosts are the virus and hunger that continue to haunt.

There's so much of science and tech, as well as so much of misinformation. Yet, we don't care if on a dark evening or late night an entity in white robes appears suddenly midway as we walk home. There are a plenty of cameras to monitor. And, our mobile phones, perhaps, are the best gadgets that make such a thought even more interesting.

So, more a quest to 'discover' something that makes good content for our social platforms rather than the fear of the supernatural, keeps us excited. 'I saw a ghost' - say this and people will consider you a liar. 'Show' a video clip, and you are the talk, you may get extra views on that 'evident' video that could even be debated about - about how you manipulated the video or how there's something fake about the video, or how some moving object you captured is anything but a ghost.

Why are we so still concerned about the 'supernatural'? Life's so boring without tales. It's the fantasy, the stories of bravery, the stories of challenges that humans take, that keep us excited. The adrenaline-trigger of the real world is far more interesting than one you come across in a video game.

Sweet dreams! Stay safe, good night.

photo courtesy: Photo by Michael Mouritz on Unsplash

Yes, we will!

A walled-living is like being a fish in an aquarium. You can see the world. The world can observe you, perhaps, through your social posts. The information flow is unobstructed. But, it's a life that can be observed, lesser felt.

The virus has taken away the handshakes and the hugs. The laughter, the smiles, the tears that make us human are missing. Yet, the hope's a feeling that's keeping us going.

We are countering the virus, it's year-2. World over, the efforts are on. You curb it one place, it resurfaces elsewhere. But we must not give in, nor give up.

It's one of those moments in sapiens' timeline where efforts need to be consorted. There's nothing individual, nothing personal. It's all about standing up united.

It may take a while. But we will make it to the other side.

Yes, we will.

Do you dream? I do.

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The world’s at home! And these days, you too, with it. It’s a never-been-before ‘vacation’. How have you been? Did you have the time to ponder over everything, around and within? How has been your thinking, what have you been thinking about (other than the virus)? Are you dreaming these days?

A major concern among the effects of the stay-home phase is the effect on our minds. Besides physical fitness and financial stability, mental health is a big big-concern. So, are you dreaming these days?

I do dream. As I have always done. In fact, I am living in a dream, which will open up to a beautiful world, to a world different from what we lived, light years ago. All the science fiction put together, ever written, is unmatched with our present. Unlike stories we have read – Clarke’s, Wells' or anyone else’s – we are living through a story, where we all are characters of the plot. All of us, across the globe. We are fighting against a virus, a small piece of biological material, that somewhere got discarded as we climbed our evolution ladder. This virus is the big unexpected snake we encounter as we throw the die while playing snakes and ladders. We will crawl ahead and gain pace, climbing yet another ladder.

Nature is all about outcomes and permutations and combinations as we push hard against boundaries. We are humans. The game is several-outcomes strong. Luckily or unluckily, this outcome is not we ever desired or expected. But it happened. This time ‘It’ played better. It’s a Darwinian moment!

Do you dream? I do. I dream of a better world. An ideal world. An ‘unattainable’ world. I dream of peace. Of priorities that help us stay happier as humans so that we focus on discovering more of this infinite sky, so that we have a beautiful planet to live on, so that we dissolve differences, so that life becomes a beautiful experience for everyone, so that our kids in future when they look back at us, do it with affection. Even during this live-in-sci-fi moment in real life, yes, I dream.
Do you dream? I do.

Photos by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash