ThoughtSummary

A Conscious Withdrawal

On the occasion of the last Shravan Somvar, I have decided to step away from this platform.
This is not the first time. I have rarely remained here for more than a few months at a stretch. Those who remember my TheStorytellersLab* days may recall that I eventually removed nearly 10k members from both platforms and quietly walked away. Perhaps some departures return until we finally understand what they are trying to teach us.
Something within me no longer resonates with the incessant stream of information fed to us by algorithms. We imagine that we use these platforms, yet gradually, we begin following the platform’s logic instead.
For some, perhaps, this is harmless. For me, it increasingly feels like a cocoon.
You begin by choosing what interests you; eventually, the algorithm chooses what you encounter. You remain within a familiar circumference of opinions, aesthetics and ideas, circling the same pond until familiarity begins to resemble truth.
A pond, however beautiful, is never the ocean.

What happens when you wish to explore something entirely different—something outside the pattern already constructed around you? By then, you may have been conditioned to remain within the very loop you once chose voluntarily. Your curiosity quietly narrows, and the unexplored begins to disappear from view.
That alone is reason enough for me to leave.
And when it comes to devotion, I feel this even more deeply.
Bhakti was never meant to become another category of content.
There is something paradoxical about experiencing a sacred thought and immediately feeling compelled to turn it into a post, an image, a reel, and then another creation. The cycle has no natural end.
But sometimes, instead of making another reel about His name, I would rather chant.
Instead of creating an image about stillness, I would rather sit quietly.
Instead of expressing devotion outwardly, I would rather experience it inwardly.
There is a profound freedom in doing nothing simply because nothing needs to be produced.
Wu Wei—allowing, being, remaining still without the compulsive need to perform.
I believe we need enough awareness to recognise the mechanism we are participating in. It is easy to dismiss these platforms as mere entertainment but it will to late to realise and the damage will be done.
Here, one thought becomes a million of copies. People desist this platform write about it’s ills yet stay here unwilling to leave but conscious enough to acknowledge.
Perhaps what is becoming scarce is silence. To look within.

And step outside of, what you are repeatedly shown. Seek what lies beyond your preferences. Read what challenges you. Sit without stimulation. Allow yourself to encounter something unfamiliar.
You may feel that nothing is happening.
Perhaps that is precisely why it is difficult to notice.
Years from now, one may realise how much attention, curiosity and individuality were surrendered little by little.
For me, it is time to reclaim that space.
Well, catering that truth to everyone was never my purpose as well.
I would rather protect the sanctity of my inner world than continually translate it into content.

So, with the conclusion of this last Shravan Somvar, I choose to step away.

Not with bitterness, but with awareness.

I choose the ocean over the pond.
Presence over scrolling.
Seeking over being fed.
Silence over noise.
And Bhakti as a lived experience—not as content.

श्रीहरि शरणम् 🙏🏻🌼