By 智扬

On the bus or MRT trains, we see almost everyone constantly glued to their mobile devices, myself included. We have grown into a habit of checking our handphones either just before we sleep or when we awaken.

Upon reflecting on why we easily become addicted to social media, I realized that part of its appeal lies in the fact that it allows us to feed our greed and curiosity of information, our inner ‘kaypohness’ (Singlish for being a busybody). We want to know what our friends and family are doing or are busy with. We feel a need to compare with our peers; are we doing better or worse off than them? We want to be in the know of the most happening event or the latest trend to follow. Most times, what we are surfing for is actually not the information that we really need. It’s unlike watching the news where the news editor decides what news to report in terms of severity and priority. In social media, we choose what we want to read according to our interest at that moment. It often takes only a split-second decision to click on the next link when we get bored with what we are currently reading about or watching on social media.

I came across this phrase in a local news article about the use of social media; “… we ignore what we dislike and we will share what we like and feel strongly for”. This struck a chord to what I had been thinking recently about the pervasiveness of social media in almost every aspect of our lives. Hence I believe that the popularity of social media is pushing us towards extremism.

The Internet has brought us closer with immediate news and information sharing. Though fast improving technological advances have brought us many tremendous positives and benefits, we are seeing that it is also causing us to develop more varying and differing viewpoints. Social media sharing has allowed anyone with an internet connection a platform to voice out their own views and opinions to the public. This can be as harmless as diehard supporting rival football teams halfway around the world to dangerous views that advocate extremism with regard to racial, religions, politics and nationalism.

A recent news headlines was that of the spreading of false news or information. While I am not an expert to comment on the measures and policies the authorities are planning to implement to deal with this, I am constantly reminding myself and those around me that we need to be more mindful of what we type and comment online or even just that one simple click to share someone’s link or comment.

We should strive to be mindful and constantly check and  remind ourselves to be very careful with what we write or post on social media as there could be terrible consequences as a result of a thoughtless word or post. We also have to be aware and know clearly if we consciously browsing social media for a clear purpose or if we are doing it as part of our routine, which is a clear sign of addiction.

By Yang Miang

I used to love trekking when I was younger and fitter. I trekked several Malaysian mountains during my University days. I enjoyed trekking because of the physical challenge, the closeness with nature, and the friendship with fellow trekkers. I also learned a lot about myself when I trekked.

Whenever I trekked, I realised that I was satisfied more easily. I was happy when there was no rain. I was relieved when I had a simple tent to sleep in. I was glad whenever I got to eat warm food. I was delighted when we got to see the sunrise. Although these can be easily achieved when I am in the city, in the comfort of my usual environment, being on a trek in the wilderness made these often taken-for-granted simple pleasures so precious and precarious. Such was the power of nature. 

Our man-made environment frequently causes us to have the illusion that we have control over so many things in life. We assume that we will wake up in the morning and that the air we breathe will always be breathable. We assume that the ground below us will always hold us. The reality is that we live because nature has provided the right set of conditions for us to live. The illusion of control makes us take things for granted and desire for more than we need. Being in the wild reminded me of the importance of being grateful for what we already have.

After becoming a Buddhist, I have realised to an even greater extent that many things are beyond our control and nothing lasts forever. This is the concept of impermanence, which also applies to our own mind. As I observe my mind, I have come to the realisation that it is constantly shifting and, at the same time, it tries to grab things that it has no real control over. One moment I can be very happy because of some positive remarks made by someone, and in the next moment, a negative remark can cause my mood to change almost instantaneously. I have learned that the internal impermanence of the mind and its tendency to grab and expect desired outcomes is a key reason for much of my unhappiness, frustration and suffering. 

We cannot take our physical well-being for granted. Similarly, we cannot take our inner peace for granted. True happiness and bliss come from the ability to observe the mind and not be led astray by the endless stream of thoughts. Hence, even though I seldom trek nowadays, I continue to experience the same sense of challenge. However, the sense of challenge is now spiritual in nature.