La Corona Wave

La Corona Wave

Hey friends! How is life nowadays? Not happening, right!

COVID – 19 has brought our lives to a standstill. I mean literally, we are grounded, rooted in one place, locked in our only haven – our home. Depressing thoughts of getting infected and sense insecurity surround us. The current situation has made us apprehensive about our future with the economic crisis looming over the world. It seems like it will take some time to bring our lives back on track.

A novel vocabulary

There has been a sudden increase in our dictionary recently. Should we give credit to COVID – 19? Well, it’s a matter of perception. I feel that not only us but also the ordinary people around us have become familiar with some new words. People are flaunting terms like novel coronavirus, pandemic, epidemic, asymptomatic, and incubation. To outbreak, pathogens, patient zero, screening, person-to-person, and quarantine. Along with self-isolate, isolation, social distancing, transmission, transmit, test negative, test positive, treatment, and zoonotic. Terms like these have not only imparted an understanding of the disease, also alleviating the elements of fear and panic amongst people.

Change in the work culture

‘Work-from-home’ seems to have transformed the once lively, energetic, and throbbing with fun offices into bleak, lifeless, dull dungeons. Forcing people to stay at home and work in order to stay protected from this infectious virus. Residences turn into a mini workplace where domestic life and work-life go hand-in-hand. Not only the people in IT but people belonging to other sectors have been working from home. Can you imagine a civil engineer working from home? It sounds ridiculous.

The other side of the coin

There are two sides to a coin. We saw one side of the novel corona virus, making us feel like the bondages of our doings. The other, brighter side of the coin is that now being bondage, we are finally bonding with each other. We must accept this fact. Staying at home has brought us closer to our families. We have now got the time to care for our family members, talk to them, spend time with them, and interact with them. Parents, children, and grandparents have come closer enough to know each other’s nature, likes, dislikes, wants, and the attention they want. Husbands, while at home, come to know the real scenario of the situations arising and handled by their wives and children. Wives try to understand the severity of the work done by their better halves. Children are being taught good habits while parents are learning to be more patient with them. Long lost games, hobbies, and interests have sprung up.  A family now sits, eats, and sleeps together. Isn’t it a feel-good thought? The old-time concept of sound homes with a healthy environment is slowly making a comeback.

Environment-friendly decisions

Since the lock down, I have found some time for the incredible nature around me. Amazingly, I heard the chirping of not only our dear own crows and sparrows but also some rare species of birds whose sound we lost to the humdrum of the city. On taking a closer look, I also found the streets vacant. The air is devoid of dust particles and the atmosphere clear of pollution. Me breathing in a pure whiff of breeze, and to my utter surprise, I was able to see the beautiful landscape beyond the boundaries of the near horizon. This startling change inspired me to think of a revolutionary idea. What if we continue this restraint, resume, at least some of our decisions to save our Mother Earth.

Decisions like work from home for IT as well as people at senior positions in other sectors, take turns to go to the office on certain days, digital transactions, digitized procedures, online shopping, and markets and other necessary activities timed and planned on certain days only in an enclosed safe area for that real-life experience. Don’t you think that this will reduce a lot of traffic congestion, pollution, crowd, and unnecessary interactions resulting in vulnerable situations? It sounds harsh, right. But give some sincere effort to ponder over these decisions taken globally to fight the deadly corona virus. The virus loves hugs, handshakes, crowds and social gatherings done without any preventive measures.

The Truth

Evasively though, the Coronavirus, has made us introspect our way of living, which has gone haywire. In the pursuit of achieving material riches, we have lost all contact with our loved ones. We have ignored nature and are now facing its wrath. Swept away by the extreme modernization, we have drifted away from all the excellent past practices which we think are banal.

Social distancing has brought us nearer to our loved ones. Isolation has given us access to small things around us, making us happy.

Today, the story of Noah’s Ark keeps popping up in my head. It’s like World War 3: The Whole World vs. The Coronavirus.

Once again, let’s come together and resolve to practice restraint. Excess of anything leads to destruction. Don’t let this excess ruin your present and future. It’s time to slow down. When this over, we will be grateful to have become the people that we should have always been.

Before we near the end of the world, let’s become Noah for our own family and the world at large. Let’s strive to make this world a better place to live for you, me, and the entire human race. Heal the world!!