What excites me about Corona :)
This may be the most controversial statement one could hear about Corona. And yet, beyond all the gloomy articles, stats, fears, isolations; there are side effects of Corona that I am finding exciting :)
We are getting to witness a historical event in my lifetime — Yes, this is a once in a lifetime event that not many get to witness. Whoever survives will have stories to tell to our younger generations.
In 2020, me and your father played BigBoss in our home for xx days. That’s when you were born. We were bored of doing nothing :P
Newer ways of working are emerging — Remote working was mostly discouraged by a lot of companies. With the spread of Corona though, many companies are bringing in recommended or mandatory policies of working from home. Depending on the extended time period; technology to handle remote working will evolve and it could also lead to a fundamental cultural shift in the world where companies might realize it is ok and equally productive to allow people to work remotely. Post the pandemic, I do hope companies would see the benefits of remote working (less traffic, less real estate need) and may be adopt creative policies like allowing a particular team to only come to office on certain days and work from home the rest.
The air is becoming better — Thanks to us working from home, the emission levels have come down and city airs are becoming better. Already there are signs of the levels of air pollution decreasing across the world.
Less animals are being killed for food — Suddenly the non-vegetarians of us have become more cautious. We would rather spare than chicken than get infected by it. Even though this is not possible, but why take chances when one can eat plants?
We are becoming a more hygienic race — How many times our doctors told us to wash hands regularly and listened to it, before the scare of Corona infection hit us? How many times we touched things here and there and then put the same hand onto our mouths. Will we do so now? We will think 100 times over. Human race is finally sitting up and noticing the benefits of hygiene and saving them not just from Corona but also other day to day infections.
Death seems a closer possibility — Life is mostly taken for granted. This is the first time, there is a possibility that we all are becoming more conscious of. We are beginning to think; what if.. It is not funny, but it is allowing us to go inwards.
‘Social distancing’ has united the world — ‘We are in it together’, is the new global slogan. The whole world is talking about one subject. While we are getting physically isolated, we are also feeling united. Our groups on Whatsapp have become quite active with conversations on this topic. We are worried for everyone’s safety; family, friends, colleagues and everyone around us. Countries are collaborating to develop the drugs and vaccines.
We are focussing on the essentials and cutting the rest — Do I really need to go to cinema hall at this time? Probably not. Do I need to get grocery? Absolutely. Do I need to do a holiday now? No, even if the prices are at rock bottom. Do I need a walk for getting fresh air? Yes. As the non-essential activities are being forced to shut down; the human race is focussing on the essentials after a long time. We are also saving more :)
The spread has been contained so far— Even though the current numbers are alarming, they could have been much higher. Thanks to the actions taken by the governments and people’s compliance in most cases; the spread has been contained so far. I would have been sadder if the virus somehow started impacting the lower class of society. May be, the world would have paid lesser attention? The stock markets would not have crashed?
It is helping us know if we matter — There are countries who are making all efforts to get their citizens back to their homes. There are companies who are not worrying about the loss of productivity as much as the safety of their employees. There are companies where the top leaders are writing encouraging and motivating e-mails every now and then to keep up their employee morales. Thanks to Corona, we are getting to know if we matter.
CAA Protests in India have taken a backseat — Corona has ensured all protests get canceled and peace returns to the country. All mass gatherings have been canceled and people are no longer burning the city and killing each other. There is a more serious threat that has taken over and ensured normalcy returns.
If you are a child, it means no schools and more time with parents — As a kid this period of school closure comes without holiday home works. Children are getting to see more of their parents at home. And they are loving not getting up at 6AM to catch the school bus.
Yes, I am worried I might get it. Every sneeze freaks me. Yes, I am worried for the safety of everyone in this world. And I want Corona to vanish with a magic wand.
But I want to also look at this pandemic from a lighter, not-so-serious and a little more creative perspective. The optimist in me wants the world to come out of it; more focussed, united, cleaner and changed.
