Now we don’t even make eye contact. Not because we are voting for different parties. But because I scan a QR code pasted on the wall, that could do with a white wash. My phone immediately notifies, “Payment Successful.” I walk away without counting anything. I don’t even realise how much the tea costs. In the cloud, my bank balance loses a few rupees.
Once upon a time, spending hurt. You felt the notes leave your wallet. You thought twice before giving out a Rs 500 note for a Rs 30 purchase. You wondered if you really needed this buy. Today, the only serious question is, “Is the network strong?” Boy, we haven’t gotten richer since the arrival of UPI. It is just that spending has become quieter. And silence is dangerous. After tea, I return home and notice a message on my phone. Rs 299 deducted for an OTT subscription. I jolt up, noting that I have not watched even one episode of it. I notice the payment is scheduled to run till 2055, long after I would be gone. Phew, open robbery! Today, money behaves like oxygen; you only realise its importance when it starts running out.
The most fascinating shift is not financial; it is philosophical. UPI has quietly created a new breed of thinkers. I call them instant philosophers. You see them everywhere, including in the mirror. They confidently justify their spending and action at great speed. “Life is short. What is the point of earning if you don’t enjoy?” Speed is one reason why impulsive buying works so well. QR codes operate at lightning speed. By the time the mind gently inquires whether this purchase is truly necessary, you have already received a thank-you for the payment. Then there are small numbers that add their magic. The brain reacts emotionally to large figures but ignores small ones. Rs 39 feels like a rounding error. Rs 499 feels manageable. Rs 1,999 feels almost. Then comes the constant nudging. Notifications flash offers. Cashbacks whisper encouragement. “Only two left” creates artificial urgency. If five strangers bought something online, it becomes popular.
Resistance requires effort. Clicking requires only a thumb. We are living inside a very efficient temptation factory. We have lost our emotional connection with money. It feels like points in a game. We tap, scan, collect rewards and upgrade levels. Only at the month-end reality knocks.
None of this is bad. UPI is a brilliant technological breakthrough. It has simplified life. But the question is whether we have updated our habits along with it. Today, the only skill worth cultivating is the ability to pause just one extra second before scanning, clicking, justifying, and becoming an expert.Sometimes, wisdom is about waiting a little longer.
