Jaun Elia once said, “When we came to know, we realized that what does not exist is beautiful.”
Jaun’s observation was deeply profound, but he perhaps did not know that the modern human would inherit this realization as a punishment, as a virus.
And that virus would be known as FOMO: Fear of Missing Out.
The constant fear of being deprived, of missing some piece of information, of not seeing someone’s life, of not knowing what is happening somewhere. So we rush toward social media to see what is going on: a reel of an accident, a reel of dancing, a religious verse somewhere, the list goes on. All utterly disconnected, yet endlessly scrolled.
Ahmad Javed Sahib says, “Even evil requires a kind of loyalty to truly affect a person.”
But the modern man, scrolling through reels so fast, has no loyalty even to his own vices.
Evil, when deeply felt, can sometimes escalate a person, but this new evil does not even manage that. And as for goodness, when compared to other things is nil.
There is a belief that an angel resides on each shoulder, writing down our good and bad deeds. And sometimes I think, if the angels on ones right and left saw someone watching reels, they would not know whether to record it as good or evil – a little philosophy, a little meme, a little talk, a little joy – blurry isn’t It?
No distinction remains and no true experience either.
We are merely watching life like a camera – detached and constantly consuming.
This is FOMO, the one which has turned our minds into railway stations, with thoughts arriving and departing endlessly, while we, the ticket collectors, do not even look at their faces, just shouting, “Move quickly, let the next one come!”
Reels consume us infinitely, and the watcher no longer even knows why he is watching. Is it for pleasure, for learning, or just out of habit? He knows the clip will end in 15 seconds, yet invests himself for 13, aware it will change in two, and still moves on helplessly, fearing he might miss something.
It is like an hourglass where the modern man believes in watching every grain of sand fall, believing he is experiencing it, but he is not.
Looking is the eye's habit, but true seeing requires boundaries. A philosopher once said, “A man is defined by his limits.” Just as I, distinguish myself from the chair I sit on – my limits extend from my hair to my toes – so too must the modern man know the limits of his vision.
Life is not in counting the infinite, it is in living. Life is not scrolling, it is experiencing.
In contrast to FOMO, there is now ROMO: Relief of Missing Out and even JOMO: Joy of Missing Out. Be thankful for what you do not know. The Sufi once said, “Blessed be my broken pot, for now I am free from fetching water.”
The lighter the traveler, the happier he becomes. The less weight the player carries, the better he performs. It is the same as Einstein said, “it is a crime to memorize what can be looked up.”
Those detached from books, perhaps they scroll to fill an inferiority complex, believing each 15-second clip gives them knowledge.
But information is not knowledge; summaries are not experiences.
Life is not a summary; It is to live through things. You can read a thousand books about the pain of a thorn, but only when it pricks you do you know. And FOMO, my friend, prevents you from ever being pricked, from experiencing anything real. Our minds have become overfilled cups, overflowed with videos, news, updates – so much is poured in that we do not have the time to drink it.
Sometimes, relief lies in knowing less; joy lies in missing out. When you stand in a garden, to feel its presence you must be still – to smell one fragrance, other scents must pause.
Feel more.
Because life is not in the knowing, It is in being.
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Do mention your thoughts.
Peace 🕊