Random Musings 😏, Part-10
Soul Letter #36
Hello👋 folks, Shubham here.
I am back with another edition of Random Musings.
Social Media Distorts Reality
The Rigged Reality
What will be your thoughts if I posted the above image on Instagram?
A simple deduction would be I am riding a rope-way.
On a scale of 1-10, how much would you rate my happiness/joy?
Probably 8-9 considering riding a rope-way isn’t a daily chore unless you work at one.
Based on the above inference you may conclude I am having the time of my life, I love to travel, my life’s lit🔥 Right?
If asked to score my overall well-being I bet you will rate 7.5+
The Actual Reality
Yes, riding rope-way was awesome however it constituted only ten minutes of my day. To reach the rope-way I had to endure an arduous five hours road trip.
The condition of the roads was pathetic. The car had to constantly twist and turn to avoid the potholes, it was like riding a camel.
The round trip took around ten hours which is six hundred minutes. My sit bones had gone numb by the end of the day 😪
The fun part lasted for around 1.6% of the total journey time.
On a scale of 1-10, how much would I rate my road journey?
4-5 at best.
I will give my life an overall well-being score of 5.5 - 6.
Do you see my point?
Social Media is a curation of our best moments that rarely reflects the complete truth.
I have friends who are barely able to manage their lives but are giving Dan Bilzerian and Amanda Cerny a run for their money on Instagram.
Spending an entire day feeding on the perfect lives of other people leads to the comparison of our mundane life with theirs.
It makes us feel bad to the extent that we start questioning our existence.
Next time you see the picture-perfect photos remember the rigged reality and the actual reality.
PS: If everyone is so happy as they portray on Instagram, then why the hell are the depression rates at an all-time high? 🙄
Bookshelf 📚
I read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. The book is romance fiction.
William Traynor a top business executive had a larger-than-life lifestyle. He was an adventurous person who loved traveling, engaging in extreme sports, hanging out with strangers, and indulging in other cool stuff.
Unfortunately, he meets with an accident that leaves him paralyzed. It's nothing less than a curse for Will who turns cold and petulant.
In contrast to Will, Louisa Clark has led a fairly conservative life. She hasn't traveled the world and rarely tries new things. However, she is a kind-genuine soul trying to live a happy life.
Looking for a job Louisa lands as Will's caretaker but can a meek girl like her survive Will's wrath?
I was anticipating a conventional rom-com but, it had a lot more to offer. Definitely surpassed my expectations. An easy recommendation to any fiction lover.
‘Some mistakes … just have greater consequences than others. But you don’t have to let that night be the thing that defines you.’ - Me Before You
Along with Will and Lou, you will fall for the side characters as well. How everyone is trying their best to deal with their predicaments.
A few of you might have heard of the movie starring Sam Clafin and Emilia Clarke(Mother of 🐲). Both of them received great reviews for their performances. The movie has an IMDB of 7.4, which is decent for a rom-com.
Order a Grandpal Online
GoodFellows is a companionship startup by Shantanu Naidu. They aim to bring grandkids-on-demand to reduce the ailment of loneliness.
Shantanu works as Ratan Tata’s business assistant. According to him, Ratan Tata’s compassion for elderly people propelled him on this venture.
“Intergenerational friendships are a kind, meaningful, and authentic way to help the elderly living alone with companionship and warmth in the way that GoodFellows is offering. I am keen to see how GoodFellows progresses and wish Shantanu and his young team all the very best,” - Ratan Tata
Many elderlies are dealing with loneliness because their families live abroad, or they are busy, or maybe they don’t get along well.
There is a void of physical human companionship, someone to talk to, share their days or simply spend time with.
GoodFellows seeks to fill this.
They hire young educated graduates up to the age of thirty. The volunteers have to go through several personality tests before being paired with the right match.
Once the pairing is done, grandpal and grandparent can set their meeting hours depending on the flexibility of their schedules.
You may have heard similar initiatives taken by NGOs, but GoodFellows is a for-profit model. They feel the NGO model isn’t sustainable as the volunteers eventually pacify (which is understandable). Therefore it is a paid program and the volunteers don’t need to look for an additional job for a living.
They further believe that genuine companionship is not a voluntary activity, but a purposed commitment.
The program is still in the beta phase and showing promising results.
You can read the full story here.
Hope you enjoyed this edition.
Signing off for today :) Until next time, Houdoe! 🙋♂️