During the age of information which we are currently living in, with data relevant to anything and I mean literally anything available at the stroke of a couple of keys on your computer/laptop/mobile device, we are literally swamped with and bombarded with various types of information, sometimes more than what we can process. With the advent of Internet, ignorance has become a thing of the past and practically everyone has become specialized in every field possible on Earth.

Take for example a person who goes to a doctor, after searching for the causes of his symptoms on the Internet. A simple headache could mean anything from just too much stress to a tumor in your brain, and as humans we tend to think of the worst possible scenario and thus land up with the conclusion that a tumor has started to grow in his/her head. Sometimes such patients can be obstinate to the point that they aren’t satisfied until every investigation possible has been done to rule out the cause of the symptoms which the patient believes himself to be suffering. I bet some doctors would tend to find this an annoying habit and often caution patients not to believe and take into consideration everything you read on the Internet.

But then again, we all have to agree that though the information available at our fingertips can be misleading at times, the current generation would be at a total loss without it. I for one know that I would scream in frustration or most probably would have to be admitted in a mental asylum somewhere if this valuable resource were to be wrenched away from us.

However, sometimes I do wonder whether this knowledge which we are bombarded with from all sides everyday doesn’t have its adverse effects. Like the case of the patient with the doctor, a relatively small illness can trigger a sense of alarm in us after reading the possible cause of a symptom. This in turn creates tension within the patient, when recovery and well-being of us humans do depend on our mental stability as well. At times I wonder whether our forefathers were luckier, not to be aware of every little thing that kept happening on Earth, leading them to lead a life of less mental stress. But then again, knowledge does save lives, thousands of which would not have been possible at an era where ignorance indeed was a bliss!