Social media, with its endless barrage of content designed to distract rather than engage, often feels like a wasteland of hollow noise. I find myself caught between snippets of synthetic moments, designed to capture attention but empty of substance. This constant bombardment has led me to seek solace in books and poetry, the timeless keepers of human experience. I recently revisited Rabindranath Tagore’s poem Free Love, which put into words why I felt so detached from the digital world around me.
In Free Love, Tagore captures a truth that struck a deep chord within me: that each of us has a unique destiny, a path we are meant to follow. The poem speaks of love not as a chain that confines but as a force that liberates, guiding us toward our ultimate purpose. Tagore’s words reveal a profound insight—if love, whether it’s for a person, a habit, or a platform, keeps you from reaching your destination, then it becomes a prison. It’s an invisible cage that holds you back from venturing out, from discovering who you are meant to be.
Love, in its purest form, should not anchor us in a safe harbor out of fear of the unknown. It should be the wind in our sails, propelling us toward our goals, no matter how difficult the journey might be. Love that is meaningful doesn’t suffocate; it supports, grows, and evolves alongside our dreams and ambitions. It doesn’t distract us from our path but accompanies us along the way, providing comfort and strength. Only after we’ve reached our destiny does this love find its true significance—a companion in our journey, not a captor.
As I pondered these themes, I couldn’t help but draw parallels with the way social media influences our lives. In the constant pursuit of likes, shares, and digital validation, many have lost sight of what truly matters. We are so engrossed in crafting perfect personas that we forget the essence of our own stories. We trade authentic moments for curated highlights, genuine connections for superficial engagements, and in the process, we stray further from our paths.
There’s an unsettling nihilism creeping into our collective consciousness, fed by the artificial and often shallow nature of online interactions. The platforms that were once meant to connect us are now driving us into silos of self-obsession and comparison. We’ve replaced meaningful discourse with hashtags, deep introspection with filters, and the rich, reflective power of literature with fleeting trends.
It’s no wonder, then, that many of us feel lost or unfulfilled, even when surrounded by endless streams of content. In our haste to consume, we’ve forgotten how to pause, reflect, and truly connect—not just with others, but with ourselves. Literature, in contrast, invites us to slow down. It asks us to linger in the spaces between words, to feel deeply, and to think critically about the world around us.
So, what’s missing for me on social media? It’s the depth of conversation, the raw and unfiltered reflections of the human experience, and the profound insights that great literature offers. It’s the realization that our worth isn’t determined by digital metrics but by our ability to stay true to our destinies, even when the world around us tries to pull us away.
Let us not forget the power of words and the stories that define us. Let’s seek the kind of love that Tagore wrote about—love that encourages us to venture boldly toward our destinies, even when the path is difficult. Let’s turn back to the lost literature that has always been a faithful mirror of society, and let it guide us once more, not just toward connection, but toward meaning.
