Collect memories not likes

We were sitting at Marine Drive watching the sunset and gossiping even though we had done just that during a boring three-hour lecture. The sky was changing colours as if the painter was unhappy with his choice of shades. First a little pink, then a shade of orange, a little red here and then a darker shade of pink. I took out my cell phone, and even before taking a picture, I had thought of a beautiful caption which would display my love for nature. I felt happy and I looked around to see several cell phones capturing the moodiness of the painter when my lips stopped smiling. A woman was staring at the sunset with a beautiful smile on her face as if the colours were competing with each other only for her. No cell phone in her hand, she was capturing the sunset with her eyes and in that moment realization dawned upon me. How have we allowed ourselves to turn into Instagram-obsessed humans who strive to make our pages so lively, we actually sell our very own lives for that?

Sometimes not getting the perfect picture is actually a good thing; it means you’ve got a memory added in your heart for life.

Pictures are a beautiful way of freezing memories but to do that, aren’t we first supposed to create a few? We travel not for the sake of travelling but for the sake of clicking those hundreds of pictures which will gain us more popularity. We no longer fight for that first bite of food; we need to get that perfect picture first. Going to a concert without taking tons of pictures is equivalent to not going at all. We have stopped looking at the world with magic in our eyes; we have stopped finding snowmen and dragons in clouds. We no longer allow our imaginations to run wild when we see a breathtaking view, instead we click, upload and tag. When did being in a picture become more important than being in the moment? I have nothing against taking pictures; I too am fond of running around with a camera. But even a good photographer must sometimes put his camera down and just look at the dandelions that when played with by the winds are as beautiful as sunflowers. Sometimes not getting the perfect picture is actually a good thing; it means you’ve got a memory added in your heart for life.

Life is too short to spend it impressing people. Your pictures of Starbucks cups and 3 a.m. parties will generate more followers, but is a number that important to you? Go outside and notice the world. Smile at the raindrops that tickle your cheeks, forget yourself in the narrow lanes of a new city, and fight with your siblings for that first bite of your favourite cake, dance with your friends when you go for one of those concerts you love. Yes, click pictures, for they will remind you of your favourite moments but first live in that moment, experience it, allow it to change you in ways you never thought were possible. When you are eighty, your pictures won’t make you smile as brightly as the memories you’ve created.