Whether E-entertainment or P-entertainment?
Abdul Wahid Shakir
June 27, 2009
Entertainment is one of the several inborn and impulsive needs of human beings. By their nature, humans can not remain in a state of boredom and, therefore, have to invent one way or another using which they can entertain themselves and, usually, an audience – those passively participating in the activity.
This natural urge to entertain himself has impelled human being to devise countless forms of entertainment. They have been different at different times, more in certain times and less in others. Equally truly, the popularity of the same means of entertainment has differed at different times. Some have died after reaching the zenith of popularity; others have disappeared just after their birth.
More than the sport's own appeal, its survival, and for that matter, its advancement, depends on the people who initiate it and remain committed to carry it forward. The sports that are popular the world over today may not have necessarily achieved such status due to their intrinsic attraction and utility; more likely, it was the will and eagerness of the people who began it that took their sport to the heights of popular acclaim.
Prior to the advent of the technological era, the forms of entertainment used to be mainly physical sports; the ones requiring less physical exertion were such activities as story telling. In the later part of the non-technological era, such sources of entertainment as drama and theater emerged and became popular. Although most of them still exist – and many have even evolved to greater maturity – the emergence of technology-based means of entertainment, such television and video games, has dealt a heavy blow to most of the ancient forms of entertainment.
For example, the practice of storytelling by grandparents and family elders to the rest of the family members, especially the younger ones, which in some cultures was a popular pastime until the last quarter of 20th century, has disappeared virtually entirely. No more story telling – at least not in the manner that used to occur in those days – although the activity does continue in the form of novels and short stories published in the number of millions.
Likewise, certain sports, such as Kabaddy and Kushti (two popular sports of the Subcontinent), almost no longer serve as means of entertainment the way they did say some thirty to forty years ago, although they exist as more organized sports and are competed in more organized and developed forms. In fact, there existed thousands of sports and other ways of entertainment that are no more. Their death owes to a number of reasons, such as their being in an immature state of development, their performers' gradual social transformation from more primitive to more to more advanced in terms of knowledge, wealth, technology-orientation etc., and the emergence of modern means of entertainment.
The most effective agent for their disappearance or replacement, however, is, probably, the invention of modern systems of entertainment – the television, radio, movies, the Internet, video games and the plethora of devices and equipment available for this purpose today.
This shift from the means of entertainment that were sportier in nature and required greater physical participation to the ones that tend to be more mind-based and can be performed while in relaxed physical state, even while lying down, has brought about its own effects and results – both positive as well as negative.
Whereas the positive results of the transformation of the means of entertainment can certainly not be ruled out, and have contributed enormously to bringing about the information revolution that we now and then refer to, in this piece of writing I wish to concentrate on the negative effects of the more sedentary forms of entertainment.
For example, excessive watching of television has directly contributed to our poor sight quality, although we can not think of a lifestyle devoid of TV – indubitably one of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century and, in fact, a miracle. Likewise, video games and other sedentary forms of entertainment seem to have encouraged more stagnant lifestyles, especially among the younger generation. These are besides a slew of health hazards caused by some of the more modern ways of entertainment.
To determine the extent to which they are responsible for our falling health standards and physical strength, and to establish the measure up till which they are indispensable for our way of life as it is today, a rather comprehensive scrutiny of the prevalent popular means of entertainment has to be conducted, for which obviously the time and space of this article do not permit.
However, more or less all health experts believe that the technology-based means of entertainment have trampled upon our health, although they have brought other benefits to their pursuers and performers. Therefore, we find saying this much as safe that we must strive sincerely and seriously to engage ourselves as well as encourage our younger generation to participate more, and more actively, in entertainment activities that are at the same time good physical exercises.
That will be a multipronged approach since the benefits of indulging in such activities are numerous. In addition to serving as effective means of entertainment, these activities – whatever they may be – give us health benefits that can not be gained through any other source. Simultaneously, we can prevent the spontaneous damage that we incur ourselves unconsciously by engaging in sedentary forms of entertainment, such as video gaming and watching TV for endless hours.
These damages include most of the horrific diseases of the modern day, including obesity, high blood cholesterol, hypertension, heart diseases, weak eye sight, impaired hearing and so on. The loss occurring as a result of leading a lackluster lifestyle is, as far individuals are concerned, deficient personal development. Taken on national level, the loss is probably incalculable.
Therefore, other than individuals' efforts, governments must seriously rethink what they can do to redirect people's attention and interest from disease-giving means of entertainment to health-promoting ones.
This natural urge to entertain himself has impelled human being to devise countless forms of entertainment. They have been different at different times, more in certain times and less in others. Equally truly, the popularity of the same means of entertainment has differed at different times. Some have died after reaching the zenith of popularity; others have disappeared just after their birth.
More than the sport's own appeal, its survival, and for that matter, its advancement, depends on the people who initiate it and remain committed to carry it forward. The sports that are popular the world over today may not have necessarily achieved such status due to their intrinsic attraction and utility; more likely, it was the will and eagerness of the people who began it that took their sport to the heights of popular acclaim.
Prior to the advent of the technological era, the forms of entertainment used to be mainly physical sports; the ones requiring less physical exertion were such activities as story telling. In the later part of the non-technological era, such sources of entertainment as drama and theater emerged and became popular. Although most of them still exist – and many have even evolved to greater maturity – the emergence of technology-based means of entertainment, such television and video games, has dealt a heavy blow to most of the ancient forms of entertainment.
For example, the practice of storytelling by grandparents and family elders to the rest of the family members, especially the younger ones, which in some cultures was a popular pastime until the last quarter of 20th century, has disappeared virtually entirely. No more story telling – at least not in the manner that used to occur in those days – although the activity does continue in the form of novels and short stories published in the number of millions.
Likewise, certain sports, such as Kabaddy and Kushti (two popular sports of the Subcontinent), almost no longer serve as means of entertainment the way they did say some thirty to forty years ago, although they exist as more organized sports and are competed in more organized and developed forms. In fact, there existed thousands of sports and other ways of entertainment that are no more. Their death owes to a number of reasons, such as their being in an immature state of development, their performers' gradual social transformation from more primitive to more to more advanced in terms of knowledge, wealth, technology-orientation etc., and the emergence of modern means of entertainment.
The most effective agent for their disappearance or replacement, however, is, probably, the invention of modern systems of entertainment – the television, radio, movies, the Internet, video games and the plethora of devices and equipment available for this purpose today.
This shift from the means of entertainment that were sportier in nature and required greater physical participation to the ones that tend to be more mind-based and can be performed while in relaxed physical state, even while lying down, has brought about its own effects and results – both positive as well as negative.
Whereas the positive results of the transformation of the means of entertainment can certainly not be ruled out, and have contributed enormously to bringing about the information revolution that we now and then refer to, in this piece of writing I wish to concentrate on the negative effects of the more sedentary forms of entertainment.
For example, excessive watching of television has directly contributed to our poor sight quality, although we can not think of a lifestyle devoid of TV – indubitably one of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century and, in fact, a miracle. Likewise, video games and other sedentary forms of entertainment seem to have encouraged more stagnant lifestyles, especially among the younger generation. These are besides a slew of health hazards caused by some of the more modern ways of entertainment.
To determine the extent to which they are responsible for our falling health standards and physical strength, and to establish the measure up till which they are indispensable for our way of life as it is today, a rather comprehensive scrutiny of the prevalent popular means of entertainment has to be conducted, for which obviously the time and space of this article do not permit.
However, more or less all health experts believe that the technology-based means of entertainment have trampled upon our health, although they have brought other benefits to their pursuers and performers. Therefore, we find saying this much as safe that we must strive sincerely and seriously to engage ourselves as well as encourage our younger generation to participate more, and more actively, in entertainment activities that are at the same time good physical exercises.
That will be a multipronged approach since the benefits of indulging in such activities are numerous. In addition to serving as effective means of entertainment, these activities – whatever they may be – give us health benefits that can not be gained through any other source. Simultaneously, we can prevent the spontaneous damage that we incur ourselves unconsciously by engaging in sedentary forms of entertainment, such as video gaming and watching TV for endless hours.
These damages include most of the horrific diseases of the modern day, including obesity, high blood cholesterol, hypertension, heart diseases, weak eye sight, impaired hearing and so on. The loss occurring as a result of leading a lackluster lifestyle is, as far individuals are concerned, deficient personal development. Taken on national level, the loss is probably incalculable.
Therefore, other than individuals' efforts, governments must seriously rethink what they can do to redirect people's attention and interest from disease-giving means of entertainment to health-promoting ones.
Print
Email
