If I asked you to provide an analogy for humanity, what would you come up with? I'm sure I would get a myriad of different answers to this question and this would be the result of the different backgrounds and life stories coloring it. However, one answer really stuck out to me above anything that I could think of: an aging movie star. Now you might be compelled to ask where I found this response and who in his/her right mind came up with such a response. Well you need look no further than this mesmerizing Ted Talk piece by none other than the King of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan.

Let's take a look at how this parallel came to existence in the way it was described by none other than the man himself: "Because I truly believe that humanity is a lot like me. It is. It is. It's an aging movie star, grappling with all the newness around itself, wondering whether it got it right in the first place, and still trying to find a way to keep on shining regardless." Now if you ask me, that sounds like a pretty good way to describe humanity and its very evolution. At the core of the human endeavor is progress and the betterment for mankind. There is no denying that we have taken so many steps forwards in this pursuit. But how many steps forward can we take until we stop to think and analyze whether what once was perceived as moving forward still holds true in the present moment?

Technology and innovation have been the defining forces in the modern day that we live in. Most of us cannot function without the internet and social media on a daily basis (could be just every 10 minutes for social groups such as myself and college students). We all, and rightfully so, believed in the endless benefits that these innovations created - the enhanced connectivity should leave no man feeling alone and the speed at which information could flow left unbounded opportunities ahead. In spite of these benefits, mankind did not bargain for the enclosure of thought and judgement. Everything is being integrated onto our screens now and expression cannot be done without the known exposure one is setting themselves up for in comments and criticisms, even when the expression is when you don't say anything.

It has been quite a confusing time for mankind to go through and accept all the good and bad that has come about through technological innovation, specifically through social media though. Most of us feel the impulse to recreate an image of whom we want society to see us as through social media. As an aside, I feel like there is great power in this seemingly undesired quality of social media but only if used in the right manner, which very few people actually do. There is the need to be "in" with the trends and to publicize that you are on your Snapchat stories or Instagram feed. We then confuse ourselves in regards to reality and virtual: reality becomes virtual and virtual becomes reality.

Now, even though it may seem as I am implying that there are many negatives that have stemmed from the technological progression of mankind, I still believe, as does Shahrukh Khan, that this is a momentous time for humans. If we look at our present selves, we see a great deal of potential on account of our ability to push past boundaries and be resourceful in the process. We use all the past accounts of the seemingly impossible that became possible as rays of hope to fuel our passion to be an undefinable era. Great power lay in these modern times if we continue to stick to our strengths and weather the storm that is bound to come in the most brave manner possible.

Above all else, it is the urge to continuously create that is at the center of the human engine. It's amazing to see how much of an appetite there is for creation and innovation being situated near the world's center for innovation in Silicon Valley. Humanity has this endless string that ties each generation together: the concept of love. Shahrukh Khan puts it a bit better when he says, "I've learned that whatever moves you, whatever urges you to create, to build, whatever keeps you from failing, whatever helps you survive, is perhaps the oldest and the simplest emotion known to mankind, and that is love."

As we look to our future, we cannot predict what is to come. I guess the saying by a wise man that "No one knows the future" is indeed quite true. As another side note, yes, I know how self-obsessed I am but there is no changing that - neither what is of me on social media nor me as an individual in the flesh. But even with that said, it is a matter of developing and creating our future selves that is based on utilizing the idea of love and compassion that will serve humanity best. Power can be utilized for enclosure or widening of the global network - it all depends upon the basis in which you carry forward your life that will decide if it will be the former or latter. Our resources can continue to be utilized towards unfruitful actions or they can be used to bring greater positivity to the world coupled with the infectious power that is bestowed in human energy.

Shahrukh ends off by saying, "My country has taught me the capacity for a human being to love is akin to godliness." As one last aside, you can't really be akin to me but we can save that conversation for later about my ego and self obsession. But this couldn't be any closer to the truth. We have an infinite capacity to work with as human beings. In our quest for continued human progress, we must keep close at heart the origins and most basic sensations that have guided the human endeavor since its beginning. A quest and assertion of making the world what we envision are what we've embarked upon since the start and there is no need to stop after considering the fundamental, central basis for what is known as humanity's pursuit.