Pandemic Lessons

“The natural world is the larger sacred community to which we belong. To be alienated from this community is to become destitute in all that makes us human. To damage this community is to diminish our own existence.” — Thomas Berry. 

Perhaps Thomas Berry really connected with Mother Nature in depth and had tried to educate his fellow human beings through his writings but somehow or rather we did not hear, left alone listen to his words of wisdom. Then again, he was not the only one screaming to the world. Instead there were many others who were warning us. Many individuals who walked from different walks of life came at different times to educate us. Example of some famous names include Kahlil Gibran, Thich Nhat Hanh, John Keats, Wangari Maathai, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Vandana Shiva, Naseeruddin Shah, Jane Goodall, Leonardo Dicaprio, Greta Thunberg, Licypriya Kangujam and the list can go on. 

At times, we do not give Mother Nature much of choice, do we? Well, as we always say a Mother is a very loving soul but again she has to carry out her duties in order to teach and guide her children to walk on the right path. And that also sometimes means she will try her level best to be kind and remind us in a very gentle way. However, at times we children do not pay attention and take her advice's for granted and most of the time we fail to understand or just choose to ignore her voice. A mother is one who will give us many opportunities to correct our mistakes but when she says, "Enough is Enough!", she will roar loud and clear that her presence will be felt very strongly even through our veins.

COVID-19 Pandemic is something that has put the world in a stand still. This is definitely an illness which till today everyone is just playing the guessing game of its origin. However, the problem is still not solved. There is no permanent solution for now and neither are there any vaccines discovered till today. It's amazing how a virus has frightened the entire world. Not only did it affect the doctors, nurses or research & development faculties in the medical field but it has affected the entire world in various directions. Front liners from different fields came onboard in spite of knowing the fact that they stand a very high chance of being infected by this strange disease. Numerous industries have stopped working and every single person has to stay in their homes with external restricted movements. Nobody is travelling out of their homes, visiting family and friends at home or the hospital have reduced, funeral rituals have been minimized with small number of people and ceremonies are done quickly, all festivals and celebrations have gone low key, no one is travelling back home town for their annual reunions, all borders are closed and no flights are actually going across the oceans, factories and machinery are not in any movement, all postal services are only running within the country, tourism, hospitality and event management industries are undergoing losses, weddings and dinners have been postponed, to wait on long ques before going into public areas like market, supermarkets, food shops etc. have become some Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and every single individual is wearing a mask and applying sanitizers frequently. So now aren't we all aware of the power of Mother Nature? When she wants to heal, we all have to stop and in the process while we struggle to face the consequences, she heals very quickly. Today the world has healed and the environment around the globe is extremely clean. Hence, when Mother Nature decides what she wants, there is nobody who can stop her. It is time for some self-reflections. 

During the lock-down, life had spun 360 degrees. Everything was abnormal and nothing looked the same to anyone. It was also called the "New Normal" which we had no choice other than to accept the reality. Nevertheless, the change had it's own pro's and con's while the world was facing uncountable number of challenges. Firstly, most people who lived with families had time to spend with their loved ones, prepared home cooked dishes for approximately three times a day, most people washed their hands frequently and were very conscious about their level of cleanliness. Secondly, many parents started adjusting and switching their roles at home, teachers and students had to adopt to online teachings, schools, colleges and universities were closed, national exams were all postponed, parents doubled up as tutors for their own children, families started praying at home since all worship places were also closed and counselors had to be on phone calls to rescue the victims of several types of abuse. Besides that, many individuals ventured on their online businesses as to build a second income, new type of businesses boomed overnight while the services provided by food panda's, grab food and home delivery numbers increased. Those who lost their jobs grabbed and switched their careers and the usage of online banking increased. Lots of people ventured on their hobbies or passion. Photographers appreciated and captured photos of the nature while breathing in clean air. Nobody could deny the beauty of the white cotton looking clouds, bright sunrise, smell of the rain, chirping of birds and bees, heavy rain showers, blooming of flowers, wild animals were finally having their freedom and nature was happy. Yes, every single experience were photographed, recorded, published and shared on social media. Fundamentally, technology was used full swing to communicate and reach out to the world based on their individual needs. 

Finally, human beings had no choice but to adopt and transform to continue life. We are still not out of this pandemic but we have learned to appreciate and protect our loved ones, reunited and continue to work as a team, live within our means, share our income & expenditures in families, donate to various ngos who are rescuing those who have no food and most of all, each and everyone is praying as "One Nation, One World". Nevertheless, we cannot run away from the fact that there are also other sides of the pandemic which has lead to severe discomforts. What we can do is identify those who are in need of help and reach out to them depending on their requisites. Be a problem solver. No doubt, it is also during such pandemics, the negative aspects appear and trouble the fellow human kind. However, as a individuals, it is our duty to look out and help our family, neighbors, friends, community, society, nation and the world with Compassion and Kindness. 

"Kindness is a wonderful way to let another struggling soul know that there is still love in this world."