HARD TIMES, HARD LESSONS - The antagonist life

'Life never stops, it keeps changing'.  

No one could have imagined an immediate future before one month in India.  No one in the world would have imagined that world would come to a standstill within few months of the beginning of a new year.  We are tuned to adapt and experience changes throughout our life.  The emphasis here being to slow changes.  However, this change around the world was rapid and has given nobody a space to acclimatize to the change happening. The world we know has come to a sudden stop from 23rd March 2020.  What  lessons can we learn from this?

Definitely,

'Nothing is permanent. Respect what we have'

Look at the routine we followed before lockdown and the routine we follow now.  What has changed personally?

1. Our daily routine
2. Our workspace
3. Our family ties and bonding
4. Food habits
5. Expenditure control
6. Attitude towards travelling etc.,

Well, how many changes can we say is positive and how many has affected you socially, psychologically and financially? - It's individual perception.

As an educator, I feel this lockdown has been nothing but a blessing in disguise.  Let's reason out

1. Enabling learning new software's to build efficient classrooms

2. Working on online platforms for searching as well as securing practices

3. More opportunities for professional development

4. Venture into unexplored territories of learning.

Never stop learning

I know that time is of essence and with too many works pending from admissions to recruitment it becomes stressful to complete the said in too much of a hurry at a later date.  It is said that any process has two sides of a coin, how we view and our approach to the problem is what makes the difference.  Looking from this perspective.  I definitely have two options

1. To optimize and utilise the rare opportunity provided

2. To sulk and brood about the ways in which I could have spent the time.

I prefer option (1), not only because it gives a lot of mental peace but also allows me to venture into challenges which I can now convert into opportunities.

What I have learned with this experience?

Well, anything cannot be taken for granted.  What we have today is definitely a gift and we may not have it in the future.  We are able to survive without going to shopping malls, watching movies in the grand INOX.  Life has taught us to live with the limited freedom provided.  From the environment point of view, we are now breathing a much more cleaner air, no traffic pollution, and in a sense Covid -19 is able to teach us more about health and hygiene. This summer heat feels a little bit reduced due to the loss of artificial heat generated around us in our cities.   

The situation is opposite of our normal routine.  This is the time in India we plan trips to meet our parents, relatives and bond with them.  This situation has also brought to another side of life, which focuses on better self control in gearing up to the situation. It may be through social distancing, or controlled purchasing or keeping ourselves clean.

I personally feel that we should acclaim this situation as these can be repetitive, with newer emergence of stronger viruses.  Over the past decade viruses were  many, each creating a mark of its own and now this virus is making itself well-known around the world.  Let's be prepared looking for alternative ways of engaging personally rather than getting frustrated at the lack of opportunities during lockdowns' ahead.