Dystopia, Apocalypse- to me,
these concepts were mere words which existed in dictionary. I believed that these
words were just man’s imagination or a prediction which was far, far away in
future. These topics have been favourite themes in our books, movies and series.
Until 2020 no one could have imagined that dystopia was just around the corner,
lurking in the dark. Today, Corona virus has brought the world to its knees. A
pandemic that has shaken the world- the mighty and the weak alike. This virus
unfortunately made its way to India as well. With India being densely populated,
we stand at the brink of this danger which has wreaked havoc all over the world.
However, our Government is trying its best to bring this infiltrator under
control and keep people safe. I am confident that the world will overcome
and overpower this demon called Corona because our mythological stories have
time and again taught us that good wins over evil. On the other hand, I also believe
that even in such testing times, we should look at the silver lining of this
dark cloud that looms over the world.
We like to be surrounded by
people, be one among the clique, be productive, meet different people, share
ideas with fellow beings around and just spend time with people we like. Large
human gatherings especially in countries like India, be it during festivals,
protests or even local trains is something that is inevitable. In a city like
Mumbai, everyone fights for a place and some space. With Corona necessitating social
distancing, I think we have deserved our much-needed break to get away from the
daily struggles of life, some toxic people as well and breathe freely. The
biggest lesson or I would say ‘gift’ that Corona has given us is the gift of
time. And this earned time can be invested in introspecting the way we lead our
lives. Until Corona outbreak, some people never took washing hands, cleanliness
and hygiene seriously. Today investing 20 seconds in washing hands is one of
the ways to stay away from corona. This proves the saying ‘Adversity and loss
make man wise’ true. It is today that people are showing godliness in form of
cleanliness. Just like us, even Nature is basking in the sudden peace that the pandemic
has brought. The skies are blue again, air and water are less polluted,
normally bustling streets are quiet and we can finally lend our ears to the
sweet sounds of birds around. These are simple joys of life, yet distant and
lost amongst our daily routine.
People are working from home, commuting
hours have come down to zero which means zero burden on resources. We are spending
more time with our families, which I think is the biggest gift. We are having
more meaningful conversations with our loved ones and are listening to each
other, for which we hardly had time. We need to frugally use this gift of time
by spending it on our well-being. We have earned time to worship our body by eating
well, exercising and keeping it fit. With so much negativity around in form of melancholic
news and depressing messages circulating on social media, we must still learn
to look at the brighter side, the lessons that this crisis is teaching us. I think
this optimistic approach will keep our sanity in check.
In such times, social media, modern
means of communication and entertainment are keeping us connected to the world when
we are quarantining ourselves. We can spend time pursuing our hobbies, which is
one of the ways to be happy. Thankfully with online streaming services being seamless
we can still binge watch shows and movies which are long pending in our
watchlists. Personally, I would dedicate more time reading my collection of novels.
At least they would take me to a Utopian world, till the crisis in real world
subsides. Self-isolation according to me is proving to be self-cleansing for
the body and the soul. Corona is also teaching us to be grateful. With so many cases
of infection and deaths being reported daily, we must be grateful that we have
not fallen prey to this pandemic and at the same time applaud for doctors,
nurses, staff at hospitals and police force who are working selflessly and burning
the midnight oil to keep us safe.
This pandemic has brought the
world closer, taught us the meaning of humanity and solidarity. Almost every
country in the world today is tackling the challenge, saving lives and is using
technological expertise to defeat the crisis. Even economies and businesses are
facing and fighting this crisis. Everyone is playing their role to keep the
ball rolling. Yes, the growth trends and profitability look discouraging, yet
we all are in it together. Together we will revive economies. This too shall
pass. As it is rightly said, ‘After every dark night there’s a brighter dawn.’ Soon
life will be back to normal. Streets, restaurants, shopping malls, theatres
will be reverberating with people. Though all of us want that life back, we
must never forget the lessons that Corona and in a way, Nature has taught us to
not take resources for granted and find happiness even in little and simple moments of
life.
