Sitting in the center of one of the critically affected cities of India- Mumbai, amidst this Covid crisis, I feel the world has come to a standstill. What a riot could not do (CAA protests), what a terrorist attack failed at (26/11 situation) even what multiple requests from environmentalists could not get (Great Barrier Reef Bleaching crisis), a mere virus has been able to do it i.e. create more empathetic humans who are considerate of the environment and the fellow human beings around. Now the citizens are not looking to the newly constructed malls nearby, nor are they rushing from one point to another at the name of work or meetings. Currently, the need is just to procure the essentials. A mere two square meal with peace of mind is what everyone is desiring. The world seems to have gone back by two decades. The clock seems frozen and the calendar seems not mobile.
This virus which started from a city in China- Wuhan, with a minute population of just ten million people, has already claimed ten million lives globally, in just a period of 5 months. The speed with which this infectious disease spread, made it to be declared as " Pandemic", very soon than expected or estimated. This has made developed countries like the USA and UK even to bow down. The R-naught (a concept which speaks about the reproductive number of a disease) is traced at as contagious as seasonal flu but less contagious than SARS.
Contrastingly, every coin has two sides. If the night is here, morning won't be far away. Being an ardent follower of Harry Potter here would like to quote the famous saying by Albus Dumbledore- "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of the times, if only one remembers to switch on the light."
This period of lockdown has given everyone a piece and peace of mind. It has lent the chance to spend time with loved ones. People are spending time more in books than in outings, more in kitchens than in clubs, more in bed than in cars. And the best part? They are happy about it.
This lockdown did make me think through a lot of thick and thin that I have been. A sudden lockdown and Work from Home did come as a bouncer but, the grass is always greener on the other side. These are a few things which hit me hard during this phase:
1. There is no tomorrow: Many a time we hold onto certain plans and thoughts. At times we don't have money to pursue them or otherwise, we are short of time. Or simply put, no passion or push to do it. But, promise yourself that the moment things get back to normal, you shall be living the life of your dreams. You shall be taking that trip which is planned with your friends for ages. You shall be buying that gadget which you have always been wanting to. You shall be pampering yourself. Life is happening only once. YOLO- you live only once. Live it today, for tomorrow, Corona may come again anyway.
2. Everything is a blessing: How many times did we thank our mothers for toiling constantly in the kitchen for us? Or how many times did we help our maid to clean the home by lending a helping hand? That grocery shop owner next to our building, did we ever step out and say him a thank you for been there for our needs? Corona has made all of us realize the value of these "small" things. These were things we always took for granted. We always said to ourselves that "aren't these people supposed to do this?" Well, the answer is No. They are bound by their circumstances, not our needs. So next time before getting down a cab, before exiting a shop, before demeaning your mom for a poorly cooked food, think of these days, when nothing is there. Thank them, for their existence. They make our lives easier. Take it as a blessing and not as what you deserve. The Earth was operating and is operating even in the state of lockdown. We are the guests to it, let's not become its masters. Or a similar pandemic again won't be far away.
3. Survival skills are more important than professional skills: It gives me immense pain to hear that few of my friends are staying away from their families and they don't know the basics of cooking. When asked, they said they only knew how to make Maggi and tea. When I peeped into their professional lives, they all own up big degrees like MBA, MBBS, LLB, CA, M.Tech to name a few. Our education system does not teach us how to manage our money then expecting teaching of survival skills from it, is baseless. The need here is for the parents to tutor their kids. If I talk about India, especially the Northern end, families believe that cooking and cleaning is just a female's task and asking the male of the house to do it, is derogatory and disrespectful to the ladies. This virus has turned the tables. Many of the sons of the family are staying away in different cities surviving on Maggi and Tea throughout the day. This is the time to realize that CV will earn you money but survival skills will earn you life.
The only precaution which can prevent Corona from spreading is Social Distancing. The amount of uncertainty in the air with respect to this virus is immense. The best kind of care you can give to someone in this critical time is to distance from them. No researchers, no scientists, no global leaders, no doctors can claim that when things will get back to normal. Or even will it? Or is this an apocalypse? No one knows. We all got to wait. With hope in mind and belief in the heart. We all got to be patient. We all got to give time sometime, because, with time, everything shall fall in place.
With a belief that tomorrow shall be better. With a thought that the sun shall be brighter and nights will be lighter. Amen.
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