Grandfather taught me that one should not be too curious or inquisitive about others and their personal lives.
He exhorted me to maintain a dignified distance, not indulge in gossip, and allow people the freedom if and when they wished to disclose something about themselves. That was ages ago. Today everyone wants and expects everyone to be curious. It started with the advent of social media, when everyone started announcing to the whole world what they ate that morning, who they met, and what clothes they are wearing; not to forget announcement of who they are in relationship with! They expect everyone to read and take interest in the most mundane of their daily routine, and they are thrilled with the number of ‘likes’ they get when they post something.
Then came selfies. An endless stream of photographs on WhatsApp, Snapchat and Instagram are loaded up for all and sundry to see. And they expect people to give their comments, so that they can comment on the comments. No one likes or wants privacy anymore.
Is it because, as I suspect, we are getting more isolated and lonely in the real world and hence we crave for attention and acknowledgement in the virtual world? Also, we seem to be getting apprehensive and reticent to face real comments and build personal relationships. We seem to be getting vicarious pleasure in sharing our most personal details to just about anyone who wishes to ‘click’ on our page. But I have stuck to my grandfather’s teaching – and I do not have any curiosity or any desire to go into anyone’s personal life. That makes my life less complicated and it gives me more time to reach out to those who are important to me.
