Ever wondered if we are living in an information age or an entertainment age? Picture a day in the life of an urban professional. It’s really mostly on autopilot. Wake up, exercise or not, get ready, have breakfast, and dash out the door to the office. En route, if traffic messes your mind, swipe into your music app. If traveling through crowded metros or Uber, lose yourself in your smartphone. Get through your workday not without checking your mobile at least 150 times. Back home, freshen up and plop yourself in front of the TV, have dinner, a little family time, and some more click, swipe, and tap on your mobile before you go to bed.
The weekends are much more fun with more time to Netflix or visit the entertainment zone in the nearest mall. And so goes on our life, day after day, striving to meet short-term goals, wants, and needs. For the hours that we are not working or sleeping, entertainment has our total, undivided commitment.
In a tech-frenzied world filled with noise, are we mindlessly pursuing entertainment? Habituated to perpetual stimulation, is entertainment our purpose in life then?
If you are an urban professional wondering about the benefits of mindfulness, check out the Mindfulness for the Urban Professional – A conversation IG video.
Do we need entertainment?
Well, man is a social animal, and entertainment in the right measure is vital for existence. A life full of responsibilities and no fun would indeed be a life of drudgery. Entertainment is a stress buster, a distraction from our demanding routines, and helps with family bonding. Movies, web series, TV, music, dance, entertainment can take on different forms and helps rejuvenate our mind and body. So yes, entertainment is essential, and we have an inalienable right to it.
But is Entertainment just a Distraction from Our Purpose in Life?
Now, that is debatable. Per Statista, Indians spent approximately 2290 trillion minutes on online entertainment in October 2021!
The Ericsson Consumer Lab report reveals Indians spend an average of 3.5 hours/day on online entertainment.
One week = 168 hours.
The time we spend on entertainment =24.5 hours (3.5 hrs/day)
This means we spend 14.5% of our week on entertainment.
We are perhaps the most entertained generation of humanity, yet an insatiable hunger for constant entertainment has led us to overindulgence. And the question whether entertainment is distracting us from our very purpose in life is complex with no simple answer. Some people believe that entertainment is just a distraction and that we should be doing more meaningful things with our time. Others believe entertainment can be beneficial and help you grow as a person.
Truth be told, Purpose in life is beyond entertainment
Yes, the purpose of life is not to provide entertainment or be entertained. It is essential to have enough stimulation and excitement such that life doesn’t get weary and uninteresting. But it is also necessary to have time for contemplation, solitude, and reflection on the meaning of life.
The purpose of life is not perpetual stimulation through different forms of entertainment but rather to find meaning through being an active participant in the world around us.
We need to understand that entertainment helps us forget things momentarily and takes us to a state of unconsciousness. The more superficial information we consume, the more our mind craves it. It is a never-ending loop leading to addiction.
Whereas time spent in solitude, meditation, or other practices that increase our awareness and alertness, lead us to our inner voice and purpose in life. Stillness and nothingness have immeasurable power in a world of perpetual stimulation.
Living a life of purpose
Life without a purpose is like a rudderless ship, aimless and directionless. Purpose is the compass that gives our lives a sense of direction. A meaningful life can be found through many paths. Some find their purpose within themselves, in their personal development and growth. Others find fulfillment in service and giving back to society in some way. The quest for purpose is not new; it has been around forever.
Simply put, it is knowing yourself, becoming aware of your talents and gifts, honing them, and using them for the greater good. Therein lies true happiness, the kind that is not fleeting and elusive but the everlasting kind.
Here are 12 commandments to live your best life.
While some of us figure out our purpose early in life, many fail to recognize it and lead a mundane life, entangled in the needs and wants of daily sustenance. And it is in such a state that we tend to give more importance to entertainment as a source of distraction from our life struggles.
Purpose is what connects us to our inner self and aligns us with who we truly are. If you are someone who lacks clarity and needs some guidance and an action plan to get your act together and figure out your purpose in life, then Happiness Habits can be your guidebook, and I can be your mentor to tide you through the tumultuous journey.