Guest column | Perfectly imperfect

Technology’s pursuit of perfection is eroding human individuality, creativity and appreciation for life’s beautiful imperfections

In this age of perfection, where technology makes everything look so incredibly perfect, I miss the imperfections of a simple human life. We have somewhere stopped seeing beauty in things that are natural, verisimilar, lifelike and foible.

Technology may have developed a lot but now it’s the human brain that needs refreshing. (Shutterstock)

Our variegated traits, ideas, flaws, detours, mistakes and learnings, which once gave us a unique identity, are now submerged in the bubble of technology surrounding us. Suddenly we have so much to fix ever since technology engulfed us in its sweep. I am often left boxing my ideas, thoughts and feelings into set patterns of correctness and always trying to fit in rather than going with the flow of my natural accomplishments.

The compulsion to appear good in all walks of life is throttling the verve and veracity of being real. I grew up at a time when my mother used to put a black dot on my face to ward off the evil eye. The trend now is to display, with a generous dash of filters, no matter how affected and stagy it may look. Amid the craze for going under the knife to have chiseled noses, curated hair and cosmetic fillers, natural beauty seems to have been sent on a long walk. For those of us who bask in the glory of natural endowments, it gets tough to match our stride with those who do not.

Nature never meant us to be perfect, identical or superficially polished at the edges. When I soak in the gorgeousness of undulating mountains, meandering rivers, crooked trees and uneven waves blending into a quiet seemliness, I see many missing the moment and angling for pictures. With 2% battery and 100% anxiety, they are exhausted. When the riverbank offered free therapy, they were negotiating with their power banks.

I miss the ‘art’ that has now become ‘science’. We do not practice for a song, we auto tune it. Gone are the days of a large orchestra with scores of musicians and a grand conductor enthralling the audience. Machines are making music, composing poetry, cooking our dishes and doing just about everything that does not need human interference or creativity. The world may never see a Leonardo da Vinci who worked for years to create the breathtaking masterpiece of Mona Lisa. No more ‘Eureka’ moments or the thrill and ecstasy of finally getting it right after many tries. We simply hit the bull’s-eye with just a click of a button.

When autocorrect and AI portals prompt me not to think or learn or remember things, leave alone making any error, I want to be a little more human, a little more fallible in the robotic jungle. Technology may have developed a lot but now it’s the human brain that needs refreshing.

Life was simple back then. A secure job, a few friends and peace of mind. Today we have unlimited choices that create unlimited pressure. Psychologists call it choice overload, when too many possibilities increase anxiety rather than satisfaction. I, for one, do not want to know all the options. I don’t know how far we can survive this unhuman correctness that leaves us bereft of emotions and empathy.

One may not have a perfect life, a perfect journey or a perfect event, but one may have plenty of moments to enjoy and have a journey that is one’s own.

alkagaurkashyap@gmail.com