At the end of a long day filled with WFH Online meetings, I thought of writing something to relax a bit. Suddenly, this thought came to me – “Why don’t you pick one WhatsApp group, review all the messages posted in it for a day and write about it?”

Being a part of many WhatsApp groups such as Family, Friends, College-mates, Office colleagues, like-minded people, Spiritual, Books lovers, learning circles etc. It was a hard choice to pick one, but based on the activity level, I was able to do so.

And having picked one with all sincerity, I patiently read through all the messages posted there for a day. There were close to 100 messages on that day of my choice. I succeeded in classifying the messages under different headings as below:

• Response to other’s message – 62
• COVID-related – 14
• Politics Related – 8
• MEME’s – 8
• Religious Stuff – 6
• Business Related – 4
• Motivational Stuff – 2

Response to other’s message was high since one of the group members was admitted for COVID treatment and everyone was wishing him a speedy recovery. I felt good for being connected.

COVID related messages – Some were very scary, and some were reassuring. There were a lot of pieces of advice for the COVID cure and on how the government should handle the present crisis.

Politics Related – Among the members there were a lot of exchanges for and against the government and some political leaders. To quote one – “Why should India export oxygen and vaccines to other countries when there are many who need it here?” And the counter to it, was” If all the countries think on these lines, where will the raw materials to produce the vaccine come from for India?” Both the point of views seemed logical to me. For me, it appeared that, without understanding the bigger picture and having the required data in hand, it would be a crime to make any judgement on this.

MEMES – I really admired the memes posted. Some are very creative, entertaining and make you think. Talent behind should be appreciated.

Religious Stuff:  There was a post on the Atharvaveda with a YouTube link. The post said the mantras chanted are very powerful and just hearing them on a regular basis would ensure good health. I am not sure about this, but I did make a try at hearing them once. I heard them just closing my eyes. Though I didn’t understand the essence of it, I liked the rhythm and the way it was recited. It made me feel good.

Business Related: Turning COVID adversity into opportunity, there were some business suggestions on how to capitalize on the COVID needs. The post carried a tagline – “If you decide to hang the Capitalists, a capitalist will sell you a rope”. Yes, it is true, I thought.

Motivational Stuffs: These are great when you read, reflect and try to internalize it. One message said “Being Happy and positive is the best way to increase your immunity”, and the other said, “When you challenge people, you will lose one day. When you challenge yourself, you will win every day.”

At the end of my review, I realized that what messages we post and what we  pick to read from others post has an impact on us as we do this every day, so I decided to post only positive and happy messages and keep challenging myself rather than challenging others views and opinions in the group.

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