“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”-Roy T. Bennet, The light in the heart
On the first of January when everyone was wishing each other “Happy New Year”, nobody has the slightest idea what is in store for us in the year 2020. The corona pandemic struck the world and everything has changed since then. It was in the year 1918 since the last pandemic, "Spanish flu". None of us present here in this era has the slightest bit of knowledge or experience how to get through a pandemic. Before we could understand what the entire humanity is going through, the entire world was under lockdown. Colleges and universities are closed, supermarkets are shut, railway stations and airports are deserted. The joy of couples to go for vacations has been put under long waits. Family vacations have been put into a long halt. A daily normal routine of work, study, pray and party has been transformed into long isolation days, lockdown, increasing coronavirus cases, and death around us. But in this warlike state, we still learn a no of lessons. This pandemic has undoubtedly taught us many things that we were neglecting before. Let us look at a few.
1-Stronger healthcare system
The Nobel coronavirus has put the entire healthcare system into jeopardy. The developed nations like the USA, UK, Italy, etc., who were very particular in having a strong and efficient healthcare system are crumbling. The developing nations like India are struggling to keep the initial phase of the pandemic under control. This situation gives us a clear picture that none of the countries are well prepared to face a pandemic. This covid19 pandemic has put a serious thought among all policymaker about the status of current healthcare system.
2-Living with unpredictability
“If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.”- Eleanor Roosevelt.
Uncertainty is the core of survival nowadays. We are unaware when can we go for a weekend getaway with our family at a hotel nearby. We do not know when we can be able to book a couple friendly hotel at Bangalore to spend a splendid vacation. With all the technological innovations around us, economic benefits, privileges, we were living a very predictable life. Humanity has become very robotic. Living for the greatest pleasures of life and oneself has become the sole motto of people. But, nobody could remember that the real essence of life lies in its unpredictability. We make plans and aspire to make them real. We never thought that the crushing of dreams is also part of the big plan. It is ok to fail and it’s ok not to reach the goal. During covid19, when all our dreams keep getting destroyed day after day, we realize the real meaning of life. We aspire to fight back each passing day.
3-Equality in getting the infection
Our society has been divided into upper, middle, and lower-class people. There is a severe distinction between the rich and the poor wherever we go. But the coronavirus became a blind eye to this fact. It did not differentiate between upper and lower class. The film stars, politicians, businessmen, scholars, laborers, employed are all equally vulnerable to this disease. Hence, we should understand that it is the society that has divided us not the Nature.
4-Sharing and caring
Many people in our locality are not getting a single meal a day to survive during this pandemic. Likewise, many privileged ones have ample supplies and resources to survive. Looking at the gravity of the situation, many NGO’s, entrepreneurs, hotels in Delhi, Mumbai etc. have volunteered to cook and offer food to the underprivileged ones. The feeling of caring and sharing is the essence of humanity and the world is going towards that for the greater good.
5-Being responsible towards family
Unlike nowadays, the pre-corona days were only work- work – work and an overly fast life. We barely got some time to sit and spend time with our loves ones. During this lock down, we are forced to stay with our loved ones for days altogether. The adults are relieving their childhood days, the children are getting to live what real childhood is and the parents got their children back. We realized that spending quality time with the loved ones are the real joy. We definitely cannot take our loved ones on a long weekend getaway during this pandemic but we can spend time relieving the old days and doing chores together to be with them.
6-We need minimum to survive.
We all are surviving on bare minimum now. No partying, no impulse buying, no wasting money or food. The false vanity has taken a huge backward surge and reality comes into picture. Post corona, you might want to take your partner for a long vacation at a couple friendly hotel for a date, but till that time a brunch date at Skype will make some beautiful memories to cherish.
7-The Nature is healing
Climate change- we have come across this word many times in this decade. We have read about it, saw videos about it, heard lectures about it but we only realized it now. The air quality index of Delhi has come down significantly. The people can feel the difference of breathing into fresher air now. The flocks of pink flamingos coming back to Mumbai during this lock down indeed suggests a lower pollution index in that city as well. The nature is indeed healing during this pandemic.
8-Respecting the healthcare professionals
The doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are considered as first line warriors during covid19. They have been sacrificing their safety and taking care of the patients. Earlier, there were numerous cases of assault reported against the doctors. But now, people are thanking them by clapping. The air force and navy are arranging special gratitude for them. Even the hotels near the hospitals like AIIMS, Delhi are offering rooms for the healthcare professionals to stay during their duty.
9-Every profession is important.
When the entire world was living inside the walls, few individuals were working hard to make our lives easier. The Police department, the delivery boys of the hotels, the online grocery people, the sanitation department and the waste management department deserve a bow of gratitude from all of us.
10-Openly discussing about death and accepting it.
In this world, Death is the only truth. It is inevitable. But we as humans always avoid discussing about it. But now, with this pandemic, discussing and accepting death has become a normal thing to do.
As said by the famous physicist Madame Marie Curie, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
Covid19 has indeed put everyone’s life in an edge. But we can only get through this phase with a positive attitude. Post-corona era will definitely acknowledge these learnings and will carve us into better human beings.