Hashtagged Life

One of the most commonly used symbols nowadays on keyboard # (read as Hashtag) remains the most intriguing one for me. I could never understand the purpose of its existence till few years back. It was even more disturbing to know that it’s not an invention of computer age but it existed since the days of Romans. While browsing through the net I realised it was also part of our antique instrument called Typewriter. Though it existed in different avatar popularly called as Pound. 

Only thing I never realised in my journey with # was about its existence prior to 2013-14 when I was almost 34 year old. It may sound crazy, but it’s true. I would express my apology to my English and Maths Teachers, for my ignorance (again must accept, I really don’t know if # was part of English or Maths). In 2013, Indian financial markets were in disarray. Equity markets were tumbling down, Indian Rupee was in free fall and Indian bond market was in total freeze meaning no trades at all. In those times I was glued to TV to understand the depth of pain in markets when the newsreader intervened the speaker and said “Breaking News: IMF refers India as one of the Fragile 5 economies. While we bring more updates please send your messages on #IndiaInFragile5 (read as Hashtag India In Fragile5)”. This was first time when the use of # caught my attention. It also set the phenomenon called Baader-Meinhof, otherwise known as frequency illusion or recency illusion. This phenomenon occurs when the thing you've just noticed, experienced or been told about suddenly crops up to gain attraction. Every news channel that I browsed through I realised it had its own versions like #TerrorAttackInHyderaabd, #ModiforPM, #ChaiPeCharcha #RaghuramNewGovernor etc. 

I researched to learn this new realisation in detail. I didn’t even know how to send messages. I must also make an honest submission that #IAmOneofThoseLaziest in the group who reluctantly embraces technology. I often felt that technology #IsNotMyCupofTea and I complicated it further with my reluctance in seeking help wondering #WhatWillPeopleThink and thus creating embarrassing situation for me. 

Mass Media & Social media popularised the use of Hashtags. Hashtags in social media context is used to enlist all the messages under a broad theme. For example, if someone wants to look for what people think about #ModiForPM, he needs to key in this phrase in search option of Facebook or Twitter and he will able to see all the series of chat under the Hashtag. 

In the journey of life we build numerous such Hashtags, though unknowingly. This gets created over a period based on individual life experiences. While life is normally evenly balanced but we as an individual tilt the directions of our life of either being Happy or Sad based on the quality of our thoughts and number of Hashtags that we create. A series of Happy hashtags brings happiness, joy, contentment passion which results in we being extremely positive and optimistic. On the other hand a series of negative thoughts create Hashtags of Sadness. We create our life similar to our dominant thoughts (hashtags) that we keep embedding on our subconscious mind. These Hashtags only further the belief and make it true in various stages of our life. 

Let’s understand this with few examples of short stories 

a) A colleague and a very close friend was once crossing my cabin, when I noticed him in deep and sad thoughts. I came out of my cabin to invite him for a cup of tea, with intention that a brief chat would help improve his mood. He too agreed to have tea with me. I asked him as he was about take his seat, “All well? You appearing low?”. He responded, “Not really, #MyBadLuckPrecedesMe (Mera to Kismat hi kharab hai, in hindi) wherever I go. This morning I forgot to collect my wallet in canteen and canteen boys too denying having seen it”.

b) “I have already made 3 attempts, #ICan’tDoIt, I don’t think it’s for me” said my wife when she couldn’t clear her UGC Exams. 

c) I was very keen on buying a road bike which was bought by one of my very close friend and schoolmate. These bikes are very costly from a layman perspective. I knew, I have put up my request with my father at an opportune time. Finally I got the opportunity and requested my father for the bike. He immediately fired back “#IamNotTataBirla that, will be able to fulfil all your wishes”. 

How many of us could correlate with above hashtags? How often we used it or have come across someone who uses it. In all the above examples people have tried to perpetuate a belief which otherwise was an one off event by linking them to hashtags. We tend to connect the dots between distantly related or at times even unrelated events into a single thread. This magnifies the misery and elongates its life. Many times we do this without being aware that we are doing it. 

As absence of light creates darkness, similarly absence of love & happiness breeds sadness. A land if not sowed with good seeds, will give rise to weeds and grasses, similarly if we don’t plant positive thoughts, it will naturally give rise to negative thoughts. We are made of love and happiness and we are meant to enjoy. We are owners of #BlessedLife and #BeingHappy is natural phenomenon of Life. We are meant to #BeHappy & duty bound to spread it as well. Lets make a Positively Hashtagged Life…