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Consumed by what we consume

 Consumed by What We Consume

We often talk about consuming content as if it ends the moment we scroll past it.

But the truth is, what we consume eventually begins consuming us too.

Maybe that is the contradiction I find myself facing these days. The strange distance between the world that teaches wisdom and the world that entertains us.

On one side, my social media feed is filled with spirituality, scriptures, reflections, manifestations, calm thoughts, and reminders to become better human beings. There is comfort in that space. It feels grounding. It feels like a pause from the noise.

And then there is the other side of the same screen.

A world of reels where people laugh at humiliation, where insults are passed off as humour, where interfering in someone else’s life becomes entertainment, and where harshness suddenly looks fashionable. The louder, sharper, and more careless you are, the more attention you receive.

What confuses me even more is the reaction when I question it.

The moment I say something feels disrespectful or unnecessarily hurtful, I am made to feel like I am “too good,” too sensitive, too idealistic. As if kindness has become outdated. As if basic decency now belongs to another generation entirely.

And maybe this is where the real contradiction begins.

The younger generation is not entirely wrong when they say they are tired of constant preaching. Nobody wants to be told how to behave every second. The world itself is exhausting enough. Humour has become an escape mechanism for many people.

But somewhere between humour and humiliation, we have blurred a line.

Being brutally honest is now celebrated more than being compassionate. Mocking someone is easier than understanding them. Emotional detachment is mistaken for strength. And slowly, without even noticing, people stop asking whether something is funny because it is clever or funny because someone else became the target.

Maybe wisdom today does not look like becoming perfect.

Maybe wisdom is simply staying aware.

Aware of what we consume every day. Aware of what it slowly turns us into. Aware of whether our entertainment is making us lighter or harsher. Kinder or colder.

I do not think spirituality asks us to reject modern life. And I do not think modern life requires us to lose sensitivity either.

Perhaps the challenge of this generation is not choosing between scriptures and reels.

It is learning how to remain human while scrolling through both.


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