The Smarter Life #GetFitWithFlipkart #SmartHomeRevolution
“OK Google, Turn down the volume please”, I have to shout because the music playing was too loud to have any conversation. “Mr. Not-so-smart wants to have a debate”, I murmur, giving him an eye-roll.
He had already gotten up from the sofa to lower the volume, while I was shouting the instructions to my Smart speaker. He turned around and gave me a shrug. I gave him see-it-is-so-much-easier-this-way smirk. He walked past me and I turned around to see that he had gone to switch off the lights in the kitchen but before he could reach there he heard me telling my Smart Assistant to turn off those Smart Lights which I have recently installed in the house, of course, much against my dearest friend’s wishes. He has no option but to come back and sit down.
I am amused and I find myself waiting for the debate to begin, that’s the norm every time we meet and I have a new gadget to talk about.
“See, how lazy you have become! You don’t even move a muscle to do anything!”, he starts.
“That’s the point of living in a Smart Home!”, I grin.
“I still don’t see the point. First, you make your house smart to obey your orders from anywhere, then you buy those Smart Wearables to track your day, diet and health. Aren’t these two contradictory? If only you moved around the house actually doing things, you wouldn’t need to take that extra walk every day just to complete the daily targeted steps!” He makes a face saying this.
“Well, that extra stretch of walk doesn’t only help me fulfil the daily target but also gets me my me-time, my time away from everyone where I can think about the issues that need my attention with a clear head, where I can listen to the podcasts, where I can just feel the grass and be with nature for a while… I don’t think I would be doing that otherwise…”, my voice trailed off as I remembered how my childhood BFF had convinced me six months ago into buying this Smartwatch. It was her sincere efforts, I must say, that lead me to make this watch my style of life.
I had become a lazy person, I remember, paying least of attention to my health until one day I met her to catch up on life after months. At first, I couldn’t recognize what had happened to her, then she slowly revealed how she, my anti-gadget freak best friend, had given into this watch which ultimately made her diet and health conscious. Regardless to say I felt both jealousy and pride at the same time. Jealousy, because what I couldn’t do to motivate her about was done by this little piece of gadget; proud because how much more beautiful she looked now. Our conversation had ended with she being insistent on why I should get one myself too.
“And don’t you think it had made me healthier if not smarter?” I shot him with my trick question.
“Of course it had, but what I am trying to say that you don’t need all this to be healthy and to have some me-time”, he insisted. He has always been hard to convince.
“Yes I do, but with the world, we live in, wants the best of us and with such strict deadlines and stress all the time, isn’t it better your vital health stats are monitored all the time and you can be alerted before any tragedy occurs? In the world when everything has become so uncertain, isn’t it better to have the security of smart gadgets so you don’t have to actually wait around for the help to come instead you can ask for it instantly. All just with a click and a command?”
He still seemed unconvinced but didn’t answer. Still sounding like I belonged to some advertising company, I went on.
“At times when I am occupied in the kitchen, and the phone rings with an urgent phone call if I cant receive it then what’s the point of having it? But if my smart assistant puts it through me, I can answer it without any hassle. Right? It helps when you can avert an emergency even by a second. We are living in the times when most of our generation isn’t living with their parents. Though of course we talk to them daily and keep in touch but wouldn’t it help to have those Smart camera keep an eye for their safety and you can check in whenever you want to just with a click, especially for the people like who like everything in order all the time. Doesn’t it help them keep safe? It does. It helps. It makes life easier. Trust me.”
I paused to look at him and he only sighed in return. I decided to let it be but the ambience felt heavy with the serious discussion.
“Turn on the party lights and play Cheap Thrills!” I spoke and both of us burst into laughter.
“So, what’s the smartest of all?” He asked.
“Me, of course!” I chuckled back. He couldn’t resist laughing either and spoke again after the giggle died.
“I meant, what’s your favourite?”
“You ask a parent to choose her favourite child”, I started to speak dramatically but continued,” My favourite is this watch, that takes care of me all the time”, I winked showing off the watch around my wrist.
“Phew! I got relieved from some of my responsibilities then”, he winked back and asked Google Home to play my favourite song.
This blogpost is written as a part of the contest #GetFitWithFlipkart
