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By:

Anil D. Salve

21 March 2026 at 8:11:09 pm

A Drought of Wisdom in an Ocean of Information

We live in an age where information is everywhere. With a single click, we can access news from across the world, thousands of opinions, countless videos and endless claims. Knowledge has never been so accessible. Yet, in this overwhelming flow of information, something increasingly scarce is discernment-the ability to distinguish what deserves our belief from what deserves our doubt. Information and knowledge are not the same. Reading, watching or hearing something does not automatically...

A Drought of Wisdom in an Ocean of Information

We live in an age where information is everywhere. With a single click, we can access news from across the world, thousands of opinions, countless videos and endless claims. Knowledge has never been so accessible. Yet, in this overwhelming flow of information, something increasingly scarce is discernment-the ability to distinguish what deserves our belief from what deserves our doubt. Information and knowledge are not the same. Reading, watching or hearing something does not automatically make it true. We need the ability to verify information, understand its context, recognise its purpose and only then form an opinion. In the digital age, this ability has become one of the most important forms of wisdom. Social media has transformed the way information travels. WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms have made communication faster, wider and more accessible. But the same speed that connects society can also overwhelm it. Information often reaches us before facts do. A headline is read before the full story. A short video is watched without knowing what happened before or after it. A photograph is circulated without its original context. A message arrives with the familiar words, “Forwarded as received,” and within minutes it may reach thousands of people. By the time the truth catches up, the rumour may already have done its work. The problem becomes even more serious when misinformation is deliberately created and circulated. Rumours may be planted not merely to mislead individuals but to divert public attention from an important issue, create suspicion, damage someone's reputation or push society towards a particular narrative. A distraction does not always need to be completely false. Sometimes a small piece of truth is mixed with exaggeration, selective facts or emotional language. The result can be more powerful than an outright lie because it appears believable. This is how narratives are manufactured. Social media platforms can become powerful tools in this process. A repeated claim begins to look familiar, and familiarity is often mistaken for truth. A provocative post attracts attention. Thousands of reactions create the impression that “everyone” believes it. One emotional video triggers another, comments intensify the mood, and before facts have an opportunity to speak, public sentiment may have already shifted. This is where mob psychology enters the picture. A society can move from calm to anger, suspicion to trust, or optimism to fear with surprising speed. People who would ordinarily think carefully may react differently when they see thousands of others expressing outrage, fear or hostility. The individual begins to follow the crowd, and the crowd begins to reinforce the individual. The danger is not limited to negative emotions. The same mechanism can also be used positively-to mobilise people for social causes, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, public awareness and community action. Technology itself is neither wise nor foolish. Its impact depends on how information is created, amplified and consumed. The greatest danger, therefore, is not that we have too much information. It is that we may lose the habit of thinking while consuming it. We are increasingly becoming consumers of information rather than creators of thought. Everyone has access to information today, but access does not necessarily mean understanding. The boundaries between a rumour and a report, an opinion and a fact, popularity and truth are becoming increasingly blurred. A post does not become true because thousands of people have liked it. A video does not become evidence merely because it has gone viral. An opinion does not become a fact because it is expressed confidently. An idea does not become correct simply because it confirms what we already believe. This last point deserves particular attention. We often accept information not because it is accurate, but because it is comfortable. We are naturally attracted to information that confirms our existing beliefs and suspicious of information that challenges them. In the digital world, this tendency can be amplified by algorithms that repeatedly expose us to content similar to what we have already watched, liked or shared. Gradually, we may find ourselves living inside an information bubble where we hear many voices-but mostly voices that agree with us. That is not diversity of information. It is an illusion of certainty. Discernment does not mean doubting everything. It means thinking before believing. It means asking simple but powerful questions: Who is saying this? What is the evidence? What is the context? What may be missing? Who benefits if I believe it? And have I heard the other side? These questions may take only a few seconds, but they can prevent hours, days or even years of misunderstanding. This responsibility is particularly important for the younger generation. Children today are growing up in an environment of unprecedented information exposure. They can encounter more information in a few hours than earlier generations might have encountered in weeks. Therefore, education cannot merely teach students how to collect, remember and reproduce information. It must teach them how to question, verify, analyse and interpret it. A student who can write the correct answer in an examination may be academically successful. But a student who knows how to ask the right question is better prepared for life. The classroom of the future must therefore produce not merely informed students, but thinking citizens. They must learn that forwarding a message is also a form of responsibility. Sharing a post is not an innocent act when it can affect someone's reputation, create public fear or influence social behaviour. The challenge becomes even greater in the age of Artificial Intelligence. AI can generate information, images, audio and video with extraordinary speed and sophistication. The distinction between what is real and what merely appears real may become increasingly difficult. In such a world, human judgment becomes more valuable, not less. Technology can produce an answer in seconds. It cannot automatically tell us whether that answer deserves our trust. Some answers require experience. Some require context. Many require the ability to think independently. We have more information, more technology and more connectivity than any previous generation. Yet our real challenge is to preserve something technology cannot manufacture for us: the capacity to think for ourselves. The ocean of information will only become larger. The question will no longer be, “How much information do we have?” The more important questions will be: What should we accept? What should we question? What should we verify? And what should we reject? No technology can completely answer these questions for us. No number of likes can substitute for evidence. No viral trend can replace judgment. No majority can turn misinformation into truth. That responsibility belongs to human beings. Information can tell us what happened. Discernment helps us understand what it means, why it happened, what may be missing from the story and how we should respond. Perhaps, therefore, the greatest educational challenge of our time is not to teach people how to find more information. They already know how to do that. The greater challenge is to teach them how to pause-to pause before believing, to pause before reacting, to pause before forwarding and to pause before joining the crowd. Because sometimes the most intelligent response to information is not an immediate reaction, but a moment of reflection. The ocean is already around us. It is growing deeper every day. What we need now is not more information to swim through it-but the wisdom to know which direction to take. (The writer is the Principal of Podar International School, Ausa, Latur. Views personal.)

Exploring the West Coast: A Journey to San Diego

Writer: Shekhar Upasani
Shekhar Upasani
Jan 11, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Aug 18

Part Six

Our unforgettable journey along the West Coast took us from the vibrancy of LA to the charm of San Diego.

San Diego

The children insisted that we visit at least one other tourist destination besides Denver while we were visiting them in America. Among the options of New York and San Diego, we chose San Diego, a vibrant city on the West Coast, bordered by Mexico.


Our journey to San Diego began with a flight from Denver to Los Angeles, followed by a drive to San Diego. The flight takes approximately two and a half hours. Los Angeles, located on the West Coast, bears a striking resemblance to Mumbai! It is a bustling and beautiful city, often considered the financial hub of America due to the presence of numerous small and large industries situated north of LA. California, an immensely significant and affluent state in the West, is home to many renowned landmarks.


Bollywood in Mumbai and the globally famous Hollywood in LA are comparable in their cultural influence. California is also home to Silicon Valley, known worldwide as the headquarters of major companies like Google and Microsoft. Recently, Tesla, a renowned electric car manufacturer, made its mark in this state. Additionally, the world-famous Stanford University is located here. With its vast Pacific coastline, abundant natural beauty, spirit of innovation, and economic prosperity, California offers an incredibly captivating experience.


It is often said that where there is water, there is progress. Many of the world’s most prosperous cities are located by the coast, and San Diego is certainly one of them. The journey from Los Angeles to San Diego takes approximately two to three hours. On one side lies the vast Pacific Ocean, while on the other are stunning houses, bungalows, and hotels perched on the mountains. This route offers a marvellous blend of natural beauty and human ingenuity.


The Pacific Ocean, much deeper than other seas, meets a mountain range reminiscent of the Western Ghats. For centuries, relentless waves have struck these mountains, yet they appear to withstand this continuous assault with quiet strength. Travelling along the coast, passing beaches like Long Beach, Newport Beach, and Huntington Beach, is a truly refreshing experience.


One of the highlights of our journey was witnessing a breathtakingly serene sunset at Laguna Beach in the evening. The beauty of the moment compelled us to pause and savour the scene, making an intentional stop there again to take it all in.


The San Diego Zoo is often regarded as one of the finest zoos in the world. Spread over approximately 100 acres, it is a major attraction for travellers from across the globe. The zoo offers a fascinating glimpse of animals and birds from various countries, all housed in habitats that closely mimic their natural environments. The experience of exploring this zoo is truly remarkable, but given its vast size, it is almost impossible to see everything in just one day. A similar feeling of awestruck us during our visit to the aquarium.


The Oceanology Department at the University of California, San Diego, deserves special mention for its meticulous care of diverse species of fish and aquatic animals. Their commitment to maintaining the cleanliness of the environment and providing a sustainable habitat for marine life is genuinely admirable and a subject worthy of deeper study.


One of the most memorable parts of our trip was the cruise in San Diego, which quickly became one of my favourite activities. The cruise tour, coupled with an exhilarating one-hour kayaking session in the sea, was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Standing on the deck of the cruise and watching sea creatures, especially playful dolphins, was an absolute delight. On one side of the sea, the beautiful skyline of the city unfolded, while on the other side, the majestic mountains of Mexico stood tall. This scenery reminded us that we were standing at the southwestern edge of the United States, a unique meeting point of natural beauty and geographic significance.


We visited the impressive campus of the University of California, a true beacon of education. Established around 150 years ago on a sprawling 500- to 1000-acre site, the university symbolises America’s dedication to knowledge. Thousands of students from across the globe study here each year, mastering various disciplines. This grand institution is not only a centre of learning but also a testament to the American appreciation of the power of education. The creation of such a monumental Shakti Peeth of learning reflects their forward-thinking and reverence for knowledge. These individuals, true worshippers of Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom, also embrace Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, through the strength of intellect.


This journey gave me a profound sense of their immense thirst for knowledge, a quality evident in the libraries that populate even the smallest villages and the largest cities. Overall, the Pacific Ocean, along with the journey from Los Angeles to San Diego, left an indelible impression on my mind, making it an experience I will cherish forever.


(The author is a director of a company. He has travelled extensively across India and overseas.)

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