They say truth be told. Therefore, truth be told: the 21st century is called the Age of Information. I kindly beg to differ. We live in an age of misinformation, disinformation, and flat-out deception. An information pandemic, and nobody wants to discuss it except you, me and my 5 year old nephew. Information nobody asked for, nobody needs, and nobody wanted in the first place. Completely uninvited, like that relative who turns up unannounced and stays till dinner.

We are bombarded from the morning bed to the night bed. You wake up, turn off your alarm, and bam: 66 notifications. Some YouTuber on the other side of the world wishes you good morning. A brand insists these are your last 10 minutes to buy sneakers at 90% off. Two people liked your puppy-filter photo. By the time you’ve brushed your teeth (or not) you’ve already lost your mind. You just don’t know it yet. By breakfast, there’s a new TikTok trend. By lunch, you’ve taken a punch. By dinner, you’re everything but a winner.

Now, consider Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard. These places, producing the finest minds in literature, medicine, business, and political thought. There was and still is a strict fact-checking rule. References. Years of research and dedication. Getting in was, and remains, one of life’s great achievements, reserved for the hardworking, the dedicated, and yes, the lucky.

But time marched on. Landlines became cell phones became smartphones. Once, we had polymaths like Ibn-Sina, Ibn-al-Rushd and Leonardo da Vinci. But sadly, they never passed the JKBOSE board exams. So they missed out on the unprecedented accolade. And a low quality photo on the rusty electric pole in Parrypora. Pity.

Fast forward to 2026. Deep breath. The youth today give interviews for passing Grade X. They celebrate birthdays like national holidays. Pardon my French, but what exactly did you achieve by being born?

None of this, however, is the real tragedy. The real tragedy is........

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