THE GREAT DISTRACTION

Whether it's an ongoing debate in your online community, or a dispute over a fare on a local bus, you don't need an acute sense of observation to be able to tell that the people  tend to make every issue a divisive one. Everyone has to pick a side, and everyone seeks to defeat and destroy the other side either with their words, their intellect, or the loudness of their voice, if not with their fists. There's one thread that invariably unites us though, something over which we collectively share joy, disappointment, and pride. It's cricket.

Being united on the common thread of cricket is all nice and dandy, until we find it difficult (also collectively) to bring ourselves back to reality. In these days of hyper connectivity, an issue is an important issue as long as it's a visible and trending topic. What tends to happen when we collectively shift our attention towards something like cricket is that an issue that was important and visible tends to vanish from the limelight. We eventually find something new to bicker or swoon over, but what's forgotten once seldom comes back. It's really not fair to blame cricket for the dearth of longevity in our collective consciousness, but it is something worth thinking about. Lest we forget.

– Azmin Azran, Sub-editor, SHOUT