Reflections during the Covid 19 lock down

Historian of medicine, Charles Rosenberg said, 

“Epidemics start at a flash in time, proceed on a stage limited in space and duration, follow a plot line of increasing revelatory tension, move to a crisis of individual and collective character, then drift toward closure.” 

Rosenberg's argument stresses how epidemics put pressure on the societies they strike. The sudden strain makes visible fault lines in latent structures in societies/nations that might not be evident otherwise. As a result, epidemics end up serving as sampling devices for social analysis. They reveal what matters to society and whom it values. 

What is happening around the world since COVID 19 epidemic has struck, has caught us all off guard, exposing lacunae in the way we live and function with painfully misplaced priorities as society/nation.  It has been more than two months and the ugly truth of repercussions on the economy and human costs of the epidemic and the lockdown have started to emerge with gut-wrenching stories of migrant workers, starvation, death, appalling neglect of right to basic sanitation facilities, public healthcare policies, unemployment and complete loss of income taking an increasingly serious turn disrupting life with scary uncertainty. 

The world outside is nothing like we have experienced before being engulfed by covid and as we continue our secluded lives from homes, the coronavirus continues to play havoc with the world. 

These are frustrating times we are living and working under varying degrees of social restrictions. We do not know when and how the Covid-19 pandemic will end and all that is left at present is to speculate about the seismic shift in geopolitical power and its long-term economic impact the epidemic will enforce globally. 

We're in the midst of paradigm-bending times and whether we like it or not, we are making history. We are all redefining the way we live; by force, design, or by choice, and the way we instill significant changes and transform as a society will have a great impact on the kind of world we will experience after this epidemic is finally over! 

What kind of world that would be I wonder!

Our routinely fast-paced modern lives are stressful. We have plenty of options and diversity than ever before yet we go on with life as if running after some insatiable chase; moving like addicts into an unheard, unseen rhythm of uncontrolled chaos! At home or work, we are constantly working and multitasking. 

These last two months have suddenly granted us that "alone time" we seem to always yearn for. Ever since the lockdown was declared, social networking sites have been buzzing with various challenges. It is fascinating to observe how human beings adapt even in the toughest situations and find coping mechanism; be it posing in front of the camera in fineries, posting travel pictures, sharing recipes of homemade exotic food, post pictures of pets or write poems/stories or create videos and interact with the world, social media has served as a boon for many.

One of the greatest inspirations has been from seemingly ordinary people, many unsung heroes who have gone out of their way and beyond their means and capacity to reach out to people in need.

My mailbox is flooded with invitations to join webinars, talks, lectures on every possible topic under the Sun. People have been acquiring new skills, joining new courses and there has been constant bombarding of "productive things to do" and turn "struggle into greatness" as the cliche goes on various platforms. I have ended up doing none of it simply because I didn't feel the need.  

While juggling work, household chores, and other things I have stayed withdrawn in my shell; silently observing the world, each day as it goes by, admiring the bluer skies, cleaner air, empty, greener streets, listening to the chirping of birds, and connect with myself and family, making the most of the time together. This blog has been in a stupor of a sort since the last two months as the circumstances demanded my priorities change too. 

We have a long way to go before the new "normal" sets in and we are back to our routines, free to go out and socialize the way we used to. But let's not forget, as a race we have reached this tragic stage because while chasing our dreams, somewhere we completely forgot to take care of ourselves, our society, our nations, and above all, our beautiful blue planet! We became callous about our natural resources and environment. Blinded with ambitions, we simply forgot that Nature always finds a way when its balance is threatened. 

All we can do to come out of this calamity safe and alive is to pause and ask ourselves, "what were we chasing all this while? Was it worth all the pain?" If we answer these questions truthfully and mend our ways, we can hope for a rainbow at the end of a distant horizon.