Life in a lockdown
The whole thing about this lockdown is although we cannot escape death, we can make an effort to delay it.
Since four weeks or more, here in Nepal, I have not been going out. The reasons are simple. I have two little kids and the school year ended sooner for the elder because of this pandemic and I didn’t want to put more risk on the younger one, so I didn’t sent her to the daycare, instead I chose to stay home. Having coming back from America, a year back, it all made more sense to be with the family and near ones at the times like these. I have been working at home using Skype, Facebook, WhatsApp and emails. It has not been easy, working-from-home and taking care of two kids. Enough have been said about corona virus, as it is everywhere now. I am not elaborating on that here. This word quarantine has never been used this much. We all are in lockdown mode and never in our lives we thought that we’d go under a thing called lockdown. The whole world has taken a bow under this pandemic. In all my years, the measures will be something I can’t even begin to project on. The country has never contemplated, in my years, its borders and airports being shut. Roads this empty, no people walking in the street, but just some street dogs howling in our neighborhood. Lockdown is nothing but preventing people from getting together. Be it in the office, road, public transport, hotels, restaurants, religious places etc. No, the people are not imprisoned. They are still at liberty to go out of their house, buy groceries, and such. There are news and videos over the social media that police thrashing over people who are out on the streets. Some were even scary.
The history says that quarantine is one of the best methods used to combat epidemics, it worked multiple times. During the outbreak of the Bubonic plague of 1720, the city of Marseille was quarantined. Since they didn’t have modern technology or medicine, the soldiers were ordered to shoot anyone who dared to leave the city. It was brutal, but a highly effective strategy used to contain the disease.
The whole thing about this lockdown is although we cannot escape death, we can make an effort to delay it. That is why the governments of so many countries are restricting people’s movement. They want everyone to isolate themselves and to engage in social distancing. These measures are reasonable steps to diminish the contagion and lessen the pressures on health systems that are already overburdened. With the news like lack of masks, and personal protective equipments for the health workers in the country, this coronavirus has taken remote work mainstream.
Be it financial, mental or physical trauma, the coronavirus pandemic — and subsequent lockdown — has affected us all. Thanks to my mother, who has been a great help, who keeps my sanity during this tough time. With all the news of deaths going on in the world, life suddenly became so precious and ultimately a collection of memories you have the power to make! My mother always focused on do everything you want to do when you are still physically able, as she has been practicing the same. It suddenly made sense now. What if we die tomorrow? At these wake of hours, when life seems so vulnerable, seeing my mother and my daughter all cuddly makes me feel how precious it is to stay with near ones! She always has stories to tell, always has something to give, always has something to share, an absolute giver, though how much she is stressed, she will smile and talk with kids as if we are living in this happy world. Some said grandparents are a luxury. And good ones are gold. In many cases they are not per se needed to insure care for our children, but often they are a tremendous bonus to insure sanity for our children. In every way they contribute a strength beyond their call of duty.
Another thing is to tell you the truth, I had some of the best conversations with my mother that I’ve ever had. An avid follower of Vipassana meditation, she can talk for hours on self-reflection and embarking on an inner-journey has never the better timing than this. We talked about things in depth that we didn’t have time to talk about in the past…or we didn’t have the courage or the strength to talk about in the past — feelings I had, about mistakes I had made along the way that I wanted to express my regret and talk through with her.”
All these being said, in this time crisis, while we have luxury to stay home, there are people who has to go to work. Through it all, my heart goes out to all the health workers, including doctors and nurses, doing day and night shifts, risking their own health. They have to be lauded. They stood tall. We have to encourage them. Human beings likes to come together to share experiences, show solidarity and help each other. Without any doubt, this time of crisis has arrived, as the coronavirus pandemic threatens people’s lives and livelihoods. It is exactly during such crises that we need social support the most.
Togetherness can protect us against the negative impact that these events can have on our mental health. We have to stand together as a people. The economy, the least of our worries now, will be hard hit. It is the safety of the people which is paramount at the moment. How we rise to the occasion; how we assist the less fortunate at the hour of need, will define who we are as a people. I guess it will not be that tough for government employees. The government will still be paying them. It will be the private sector workers and businesses which will feel the brunt. From restaurants to malls, bars, and movie theaters, the list will include taxi drivers and daily wage workers. Our way of life will be severely disrupted and someone rightly pointed out in social media in context of our country. After all this is over, let’s spend our holidays within our country, eat in local restaurants, buy local meats and veggies, buy clothes and shoes from our brands and support local businesses. They are going to find it very difficult to get back on their feet and survive without our help. They’re suffering badly right now. Let’s do our bit in helping each other stand and grow again. Do our politicians possess the fortitude and the integrity to put country first?I don’t have a clue what the coming days will be like.What I do know is that we have to be united. The world is struggling. It is no longer about money and jobs. It is about survival. We just need to chip in.
#lockdown #coronavirus #home #nepal #momlife #parenting #covid19
