Love yourself, not your selfies.
This powerful, non-addictive yet mind changing statement just struck me when I was proposed to take up a project for the so-called ‘youth’ of the society. This made my mind work a little bit harder and my fingers a lot faster to give my thoughts form and shape on paper.
I was having my evening tea with my husband who was deeply engrossed in reading the newspaper. The headline read: “One more death due to an accident” and this made me think, “ How could death always win over life so easily?”
The answer to this question was discovered when I started doing research on the project. One study claimed that globally, there were 127 reported deaths in 18 months, with selfies being the primary reason behind them.
That may not be a huge number, but it sounds tragic — capturing your own death on a smartphone.
India, yes our own country, ranked first in the list of countries with the highest number of selfie-related deaths. India accounted for more than 60% of the reported fatalities.
Mumbai, in particular, seems to be a dangerous place, with people taking selfies on train tops and tracks, or while leaning from train compartments, performing stunts on bikes, boarding a moving bus, or at the edge of the mountain or a tower.
Selfies are dangerous while you are on the move. Today’s youth may try to impress others by performing these dangerous stunts. The after-effects can always be seen in the families of the victims.
The youth have a huge responsibility in changing the future of our nation. But aren’t we heading in the wrong direction, towards a black tunnel with only a flashlight on our smartphone for company – the same smartphone which may throw us down into death’s dungeon?
The thought really disturbed me. One of my good friends boasted about her so-called ‘courageous’ act of standing on the high rise point of a huge tower and clicking selfies in a bizarre manner. Even though all the other friends in the group appreciated her act, I kept thinking what would have happened had she lost her balance? This thought chilled me to my bones. As a result, I couldn’t sleep soundly that night.
The next day, I asked this brave friend very humbly, “How were you so perfect?” To this, she replied, “Last year I had tried the same act, slipped and broken my leg. But this time, I succeeded.” I was speechless and I walked away in despair.
The other day, I was researching about people causing harm to themselves through selfies and I was astonished looking at the statistics and some of the incidents. One event which shook me was that of a Russian woman who accidentally shot herself in the head with a pistol while posing for a selfie with the weapon.
After brainstorming to find a solution to all these disheartening incidents, I realised that self-help is the best help and the most effective medicine to this contagious disease of taking selfies without caring for one’s life. Self-help can only be attained through awareness, by creating and generating a love for life and nurturing it with self-belief.
Therefore, I say, “Have more happy moments with your family, not with the the selfies in your gallery.”
I appeal and request you very humbly that you do not risk your life for such silly reasons. Selfies at dangerous places can lead to unnecessary deaths.
Kindly participate in this social awareness program by saving your own life and click and upload a photo/video here if you come across such incidents.