Selfie Moment

I boarded the train from Houma, Shanxi Province, China to go to Shijiazhuang, in Hebei Province, China at 2:49 PM. The coach in the train is a six seater per row, with 3 seats in either side and an aisle in the middle. However, my seat was in Row 1, which 2 seats on either side of the aisle. So, after the effort of getting to the right platform, my coach and locating my seat I settled. As the only language of communication is Chinese, so for those without knowledge of that language it was quite challenging to make it to my seat. I opened the book I was carrying and started reading it. Soon, a gentleman came who was assigned the seat next to me. After he settled down suddenly a flurry of activity started next to me, so I lifted my gaze from the book to check what was going on. I noticed that that he whipped out his cell phone out of his pocket and was preparing to take a SELFIE picture of himself on the phone camera. But the interesting part of it was that he was trying to capture me also in the frame.

When my eyes met his eyes, he tried to ask sheepishly if it was OK to take picture of me with him. I was amused that I was becoming a minor celebrity because of my turban. I laughed and nodded my head and then added RMB 500. Meaning that it is OK to take picture but it was going to cost him. Saying that I started laughing again, and he joined in the laughter when he realized that I was joking. With the selfie session being over I returned back to my book as no additional communication was possible because of language barrier.

Shortly, about one and a half hour later I got up from my seat to go to the restroom (toilet) which was on the other end of the coach. In the process of going and returning back I noticed that everyone in the coach was occupied with their own cell phones or IPads. Most were engaged in watching pictures, TV shows, movies and some other content or texting. The only exception that I noticed was women who had nursing babies in their arms. Right next to the restroom was a designed area for baggage stowage, I noticed a young girl sitting there on the floor. I was wondering why she was sitting on the hard metal floor there, leaving behind the comfort of the cushioned seat. My curiosity was answered when I noticed that she was trying to charge her cell phone with an electric outlet provided there. At the same time she was watching some show on her device. On returning to my seat I noticed another woman standing behind my seat. I was wondering about the reason that brought her there, when I saw that she was charging her phone on the wall electric outlet. Then I realized that there were two outlets at either end of the coach, and as the one near the luggage area was in use she had to come here. Soon, she returned to her seat but the stream of visitors to charge the phones continued unabated.

Another hour passed and now my co-passenger again took out his cell phone and took more pictures with me and he got busy sending the pictures with some text messages. I was wondering that I have 2 cell phones (one for USA and other for China) in my pocket, so should I also capture this spectacle on my phone camera? Instead, I decided not to bother with taking pictures with my phones. But, the thoughts that how this tiny pocket sized cell phone; which did not even exist twenty years back has taken over our lives mesmerized me. Well it has taken over our lives, because we as humans have this tendency to seek recognition and this tiny pocket sized device delivers that "our significance to the rest" with just pressing the send button. The thoughts that how self-absorbed we are, and how we feel about our significance to the world were inundating my mind. The picture of self is called Selfie and tools to take pictures are named IPad and IPhone. Do the names of these devices and act taking picture of self, reveal the human nature? Yes! It is in the names.

The fact that we are self-absorbed and we want the world to know that is a universal trait that is not confined by any geographical limits. But, then why am I having these thoughts at this situation in this country? Have I not seen in the past, selfies being taken, pictures and videos being taken on the cell phone? Then, why am I having a heightened awareness about this vanity and obsession now? Well! I am travelling in this new place first time, where the systems, procedures, signs, culture or language are not familiar to me, with the result that I am operating with heightened awareness. In addition, in such a short space of train coach; I have seen that almost everyone is under the spell and grip of this pocket device. I have seen the device being used to capture moments in the past; but the sheer size and density of its usage displayed its sway, crossing the geographical boundaries. Today, we feel incomplete without our cellphone and our Twitter and Facebook accounts. Those who are not plugged in this race are considered as relics of the Stone Age. If I have not shared my latest travel or vacation pictures, pictures of the parties that I have been to, the new jewelry and the new dress that I have purchased with the world, then the world is deprived of significant world events. In fact it has become even indispensable for grocery shopping, so deep is its reach.

The word Selfie entered the Oxford Dictionary only in 2013, but its grip on the world preceded its entry in the dictionary. Before going further I would like to share the definition of the selfie from the dictionary. It is defined as an image of oneself taken by one-self using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks. In fact; TV network channel ABC had a TV show in 2014 titled Selfie. To me, that even a show owes its origin to this phenomenon is a salute to the significance that it has mustered. The thoughts about the cultural shift that just the Selfie has brought about, is beyond our understanding and its reverberations will only be analyzed in years to come. Even now, although it has been embraced and has been accepted by the society in general, but still it is derided by others as a symptom of social media-driven narcissism. As, I was drowning in these thoughts about the cultural shift that Selfie has brought I said to myself; "Watch where are you drowning yourself?" In the name of Selfie in the ocean of thoughts on Selfie!

I looked out of the train window and saw that the Sun was slowing going down into the horizon. The thought; that the significance of Selfie has really made a tremendous shine in my mind like the sunshine, and that now is the time for it to sink; and be swallowed by the horizon came to me. So, how can it go down? Suddenly I knew that it was time for evening prayer the Rehras Paath. I started doing my paath and felt the currents on Selfie ebbing. What a significant tool that our Gurus have provided us to anchor the wondering mind. It truly and really felt like an "Aah" moment. Another "Aah" moment came with the realization that I could do this from memory and although I have this paath loaded on my cellphone, I do not need it because it is memorized. In fact with the easy availability of paaths on devices as IPad and IPhone, we have stopped making efforts to memorize them.

Is this not a beautiful gift of our Gurus that can act as our anchor and support when we are swept by the selfie culture? We have not used this powerful tool to shield ourselves from excessive obsession with the selfie or another trend that keep vying for our attention. While doing the Paath the words that kept reverberating in my ears were:

"qUM krqw sicAwru mYfw sWeI ]"
"Too kartaa saachi-aar Maidaa Saa(n)ee"
Meaning: You are the Creator, the only True One, and my beloved Master.

In this Selfie culture where I permeate, we have forgotten "You". Everywhere we look with an eye for what is there for me. What have you done for me today is the new mantra. But Guru Nanak Dev Ji forgets everything when the word "You" comes to him, as we have seen from the episode in Modi Khana in Sultanpur. In this world gripped by the I, self-culture your antidote is You. Soon, my station arrived and I got down from the train. I went and checked into a hotel.

After settling in I went to a restaurant to have my dinner. I ordered my food and I was eating alone at my table. Soon, another gentleman walked in and he was seated on the table next to me. He opted for a buffet dinner and filled his plate with food. He filled his plate returned to the table and put the food plate down. He whipped out his cellphone out of his pocket and took picture of his food. Then he texted those pictures before he started eating. Although this is not a Selfie in true sense of the word, still it is a manifestation of Selfie as the food is for the self. So, for us even the food that we are eating has become an exhibit for the world.

In conclusion, I can only do a prayer that Guru Ji please let me not become a prey of the "Selfie Moment" so that in my life's journey I can make a shift from me to You.

Food for thought
Quote from Sri Guru Granth Sahib: