Recently, I visited a friend’s place in the evening with prior appointment. She had been complaining that I was too busy and not spending time with her. I made it a point to visit her as soon as possible. She was very happy to see me. I was treated to some nice snacks and coffee. All the while, she was on the phone; and from what I could make out, also on WhatsApp. While we spoke for 15 minutes, she was simultaneously on WhatsApp. Her drawing room was laden with cushy sofas, and we settled down to spend some time together. It was getting to around 7pm. She switched on the TV and said that it was now time to watch her regular serials. After 15 minutes of spending time with me and parallel on phone she got engrossed watching serials from back to back till 9pm. She didn’t even ask me whether I was interested or not. When I would insist that I had to go she coaxed me into staying back. Her husband and children were in different rooms relaxing with TV, tabs, smart phones, etc.
Yes, we have shifted from a joint family system to a nuclear family system, but I was amazed to see a new system coming up within a nuclear family which some of my friends proudly say that everyone is autonomous within the family. We live in a virtual world. Anyone hardly speaks to each other. The children while at home send messages to the siblings and parents on smart phones. Even when we speak to anyone outside the family, they immediately say, “Please text me”. Rarely have people patience to talk but enough time to exchange messages, images and videos.
The impact of these changes has definitely exposed us to a new and ‘progressive’ world where everything is global-oriented. It also has created a new generation called ‘Couch Potatoes’.
Couch Potatoes:
Adults and children these days lead a sedentary lifestyle. A child who is hardly one-year-old is already hooked to a tab. The access to outdoor life gets more and more limited as he grows up. On the average, schools instead of investing in playgrounds are investing in computer labs and other electronic devices, coaching facilities which would ensure that the student gets into a good professional course. Therefore, people are most of the time spending time on chairs or couches. A couch is a reclining chair with ample cushions and is very comfortable.
And what happens when we spend a sedentary life style is very well-known to everyone. The word ‘potato’ is used in a humorous way. Basically, it refers to weight gain and its consequent problems. There are cases where schoolchildren have developed cholesterol and blood pressure problems. The food habits are also changing with this kind of lifestyle. While people are relaxing on couches and watching television, tab, smart phone, they tend to have fast food which is damaging for the body and, in due course, creates chronic problems like blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart problems, etc. A couple of decades back, the diseases mentioned used to appear in the late fifties. However currently, they have started appearing in the early thirties. It’s only due to the lifestyle issue and related stress.
It’s a fact that in the cities with concrete jungles, there is hardly any space for parks, outdoor games, etc. But gyms have mushroomed with state-of-the-art facilities. If we want to increase our longevity and improve the quality of life, we have to change the sedentary habits, food habits and overall lifestyle issues. And lucky are those whose parents are taking care of these from childhood. It’s never too late to start.