Sometimes we ask ourselves is there really a god or it’s just a myth and my answer is both Yes and No. Yes, if you believe and No, if you do not. To understand this answer you need to get to the core of it.
The core question comes to mind is if there is no god how humans were formed? According to Darwin’s Theory, Humans were evolved from a monkey. Scientifically, Humans are made of cells, cells are made of atoms, and atoms are made of energy.
Another question comes to mind is about the existence of the universe. How was it formed what made it trigger? According to the Big Bang Theory, The universe started with a small singularity and then it inflated over the next 13.8 billion years to form the cosmos all this happened because some kind of energy triggered it.
Now, let’s take a step back and look this from a spiritual perspective. To find an answer to such questions I read The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran. According to the Bhagavad Gita, God is everywhere and so is the energy. The book also describes that the human spirit was formed by Lord Vishnu and the human spirit is like the energy it can neither be created nor be destroyed, it changes from one form to another.
Now if you compare both scientifically and spiritually, both of them say that it’s the energy that has formed the universe, the spirit, and the humans. There are two types of energy, first is positive energy and second is negative energy.
Both types of energy are present in humans and whatever dominates you feel that way. For instance, if you think you are having very bad luck it’s not luck it’s you being surrounded by negative energy and that makes your thinking negative.
Similarly, if you think you have a bit of good luck, it’s positive energy dominating in your body. Neither of them remains constant but if you keep positive dominant there will be no space for negative energy to become dominant. So how do we keep positive energy dominant? The answer is meditation and it’s the same solution written in The Bhagavad Gita.
In conclusion, God is nothing more than positive energy so if you believe in positive energy you can believe in God and to feel it I would suggest you try meditation, not for one or two days but try it for a month and do like just 10 minutes you will feel the difference and if you don’t then well, God doesn’t exist for you or you are being surrounded by negative energy.
You have probably read many articles and research papers about how addictive social media is yet, people do not stop using it as it has become a crucial part of our lives. In this blog, I will explain to you the addiction you never knew you had and how to get rid of it. There is a very thin line between addiction to smartphones and addiction to social media and both of them are inter-dependent.
It’s very difficult to convince someone that they have an addiction. Whenever I try to convince someone their addiction it automatically turns into a fight because they do not want to believe that they have an addiction. Therefore, to convince them I have explained below the addiction backing up with science.
Biology of Addiction
Dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter (a chemical released by neurons to send signals to other nerve cells) in the brain. Whenever you do some pleasurable activity or occupation a chemical called Dopamine is released in the brain. So when you check the likes and comments on the photos or videos you uploaded on social media this chemical is released. You must be thinking then why is it so bad? well, this is the same chemical that is released when humans do Drugs, smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. so more or less it becomes equivalent to using social media and doing the above things.
“There is a great deal of speculation that social media users feel extra pressure to participate and keep up on social media, to avoid the ‘fear of missing out’ in activities that others share and that they feel anxious after viewing the successful images that friends project on Facebook.”
Smartphones and Social Media
Smartphones have made access to social media very easy. With one touch you can access it which makes it more addictive to the users. On May 1, 2018, Harvard University released a blog Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time explains beautifully that it is the users who have to decide how they want to spend their time.
Cyber-Threats and Data
In 2018, Mark Zuckerberg (Co-Founder & CEO of Facebook) was called by Senates of the United States of America to testify Cambridge Analytica and Facebook Scandal. The scandal revealed that millions of users’ data were breached and nobody knows how that stolen data will be used. One might ask what data? Data such as your likes, locations, chats and much more.
Even after this scandal, Facebook filed a petition that can predict your future location. Which means Facebook can know where you will be in the future. You might be scratching your head that how is it possible? How can they know where I will be in the future? The answer is Artificial Intelligence. In simple terms, artificial intelligence is like a brain that can think. Artificial Intelligence can be compared to the human brain both need data & Information to work. When you provide data & information to artificial intelligence it analyzes accordingly.
To simplify this more I will give you an example. Say, for instance, you go to the office from Monday to Friday from 9 to 6 and then come home then the artificial intelligence can predict that you will be in the same office at the same time the next day and imagine if that data is stolen. You have no idea how the hacker will use your location.
Solution For This Addiction
It is difficult to get rid of an addiction but not impossible. So how to get rid of this addiction? It’s been more than 3 months since I have got rid of social media and it’s a step by step process.
It’s a myth that life without social media is like the above picture. Life without social media is still possible. There are plenty of benefits when you stop using social media and I am saying this from my personal experience. Once you delete your accounts you will have plenty of free time and you might think of starting your social media again so begin with utilizing this time to find your passion. If you are passionate about something try to get better at it. There are other things you can also do such as reading books. I would recommend the following books:
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
When: the scientific secrets of perfect timing by Daniel H. Pink
The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran
Deleting social media does not mean you do not have to enjoy, you can listen to music. According to the University of Nevada, Reno Music helps to release stress. You can also watch some movies to distract yourself.
On July 3, 2014, an article was released by Gabrielle Glaser from the New York Times, A Different Path to Fighting Addiction which says that dancing has been a great way to get rid of addiction so to distract yourself from social media start dancing.
You can also go for outdoor games and activities which will help you to connect more with your friends and family. It will also keep you more active.
Once you stop using social media your usage of the mobile phone automatically reduces and you will start interacting with people who are in front of you. One might say that they will lose contact with their friends if they stop using social media. well, not necessarily you can still call them on phone and talk to them or text them via SMS. If it’s an important media file such as photos, videos or some other type of files, it can be shared via Dropbox, email, Google photos, etc.
In conclusion, once you decide to delete your social media accounts you have to stick on not using it again no matter what. It’s not late yet.
kanak3699 