7 reasons why I hate "7 reasons..." posts

Oh my god. Can anyone write an article these days without making a list out of it?! 

It’s bad enough to have social media posts where you click to “find out what happened next” and then get taken to some place where you sign away your right to a brain (or your control over what gets posted on your social media page, whatever). Those posts I can handle. I simply click on this wonderful thing called the “back page” button. No I do not want to give you access to my personal life; no I do not care about your bait-y headline anymore. I will find something else to read today. I know it may not “change my life forever” like your post promises to. But I’m ok with that. 

These lists though. Where do I start? Or rather, where do they stop? It is supposed to be a tool to get clicks on your page. In a world where attention spans are shorter than the time it takes for Tony Stark to create a new Iron Man suit, it sure helps to have catchy headlines. Topical posts on relatable subjects are a dime-a-dozen. So someone somewhere on the inter-webs realized that people like to read lists. They know what they are getting into when they open the article. If nothing else, they can skim through the first sentence of each point, get a gist of what the author is trying to say, and share it on their social media page, with an opinion on the post – all without wasting no more than that one traffic signal stoppage on the way to/from work. Voila! What else could you need in life. 

Let me tell you what else I could need. I could need some reading material that actually goes in depth into a topic. I could need people sharing articles with me that they have actually read and bothered to form an opinion on. I could be interested in reading articles that actually tell a story, or that work in the traditional introduction-main-body-conclusion format. A format that works, because that’s how our brains work and process information. I can understand a 30-things-to-do-before-30 post, or a 10-apps-under-$10 post. Atleast the numbers have some relevance to the content. But why is it necessary, for e.g. to list down only 5 reasons why you chose to be a stay-at-home mom. Why not a heartfelt story about a mum enjoying the life she has chosen for herself and her family? Why are there only 7 reasons why your dog is wonderful? Could you not instead write about that incident where your dog saved the cheerleader (and saved the world). What about the places other than these 9 for getting your fix of wine? Only 12 amazing fried snacks across all of India? Please. There are more dishes than that on a single lunch table in any Punjabi home. 

I do realize that my rant uses the same ruse that it's supposed to condemn. But that’s the point isn’t it. The buzzfeeds and scoopwhoops of the world are known for such click-generating-content. But why everyone else? Most of these list articles are like mine – they don’t really need to be bullet-pointed. But the writers do so anyway - just for clicks. And that’s why I hate them. 

(Yes, I promised you 7 reasons and delivered just 1. Don’t you get that same feeling when reading a lot of these articles? They really just have the one thing to say.)

Making a living, or living!

Working 9 to 5, what a way to make living, 

Barely getting by, it's all taking and no giving. 

 They just use your mind, and you never get the credit, 

It's enough to drive you Crazy... if you let it. 

 9 to 5, Yeah, they got you were they want you. 

There's a better life; And you think about it, don't you? 

Dolly Parton's lyrics hit me as I started my drive to work one Monday morning. It's uncanny how the radio can tune in to your innermost thoughts and spew out the perfect song sometimes! 

I know we all live in an era when everyone’s favorite pastime is to crib about that dreaded corporate job and long for the day one can "start something on my own." The premise being, that if you're putting in so much effort and drudgery, might as well reap your own rewards – fully. It's a sound enough logic, and I'm not intending to get into the start-up-no-start-up debate here. Whether as part of your own venture, or as a cog in the corporate wheel, you are equally likely to feel frustrated. Frustrated with your colleagues, with your clients, with your vendors, or even just frustrated with the cab driver whose slow driving is making you late for a meeting. 

But this is something deeper - that longing for the “better life” that Ms. Parton was crooning about. An existential dilemma that keeps re-surfacing for me every few months. It actually reminded me of an episode of Friends where Chandler just makes an off-the-cuff remark – “Well, everyone hates their jobs. Who doesn’t?!” And the rest of the gang instantly denies it. They all genuinely love what they do. This conversation eventually leads to Chandler quitting his high paying “data processing” job and taking up an unpaid internship in an advertising firm. Not that a sitcom is the best place for getting your career advice, but there’s certainly some wisdom in there. 

To be honest, I’ve tried the stay-at-home-nothingness, I’ve tried the small break-to-purse-my-passion, I’ve even briefly tried the stay-at-home-mommy. So I know it isn’t easy to just get up and change your career path and/or life. Sometimes we’ve got to take a leap of faith and just start an adventure. Sometimes it is a more planned and phased out decision. One just needs to keep their minds open to new and interesting challenges, and take them up. Who knows which one can turn into that dream job for you – the one that is actually better; the one that turns the frustrated “what a way to make a living” into the excited “Whattey way to make a living!!”