The Silver Lining
Today, while the world is battling against an invisible enemy, the working class has been forced to change the way they operate.
The constant honking of cars amidst the hustle-bustle of the city has been replaced by the chirping of birds, the incessant traffic has been replaced by deserted paths and the overflowing office spaces have been replaced by the work-from-home routine.
The economy of the world has taken a serious hit after the events that have unraveled due to the pandemic. Waking up every morning is a scary thought — if we are being honest. With fewer vehicles on the roads and planes in the air, the price of oil has slumped almost two-thirds since last year.
There is increased dependence on technology — more than ever. Amidst all of this information, it seems impossible to hold on to even a fraction of positivity — especially when you are confined within the walls of your own house like a prisoner. But as I was contemplating in my room today, I realized that we are so focused on the negativity of the situation, that we have forgotten the magic that is taking place around us.
Let us start with — Nature
While the human race is embracing these sudden changes, willingly or unwillingly, it is really interesting to see how nature has taken a step back and started healing itself. The air pollution levels have dropped, skies have become clearer, water bodies are cleaner and there is a reduction in the noise levels. Coyotes, normally timid of traffic, have been spotted on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Deer are grazing near Washington homes a few miles from the White House. Wild boars are becoming bolder in Barcelona and Bergamo, Italy. In Wales, peacocks have strutted through Bangor, sheep have been filmed on roundabouts in a deserted playground in Monmouthshire.
These obvious changes are a reflection of human activities that took away the essence of the lives of these creatures and now, for the better or the worse, we see nature taking a U-turn and giving us the karma, we so rightly deserve. No matter how inconvenient this lockdown feels, it is still preparing a healthier, cleaner, and a better environment for us and the future generations.
It is also teaching us to slow down and reduce the exploitation of nature, if not abandon completely, in order to restore the balance. Cleaner Earth will invariably create a cleaner and healthier generation — and that is the first silver lining!
Now let’s talk — Reduced Dependency
When was the last time you performed all your basic chores in the house without depending on someone? I imagine, like me, you are lazy and probably rely on your house to help to do everything for you in exchange for money.
While this gives a perfect opportunity for employment for the lower middle class, it pushes the threshold of lethargy and makes us couch potatoes for the limited hours we stay at home.
Therefore, this period was a wake-up call for all of us. Agreed, we do get annoyed by the multiple stories of people baking cakes and trying out new dishes on Instagram, but don’t you observe a pattern?
Everyone is treating these things as new learning. Something, that they are able to do now and could never do before — which completely makes sense due to the preposterous working hours of firms! This is the time to go pick your passion and do something — this time will NEVER RETURN (and for many reasons it shouldn’t!).
Pick that paintbrush and add colors to your imagination, pick an online course, and make sure that you add another feather to your cap. The process and task may be different for all of us but the end goal is the same — personal enrichment and upliftment.
Moving on to — Work from home culture
None of us can deny that working from home has paved the way for increased productivity, more time, lesser frustration amidst traffic, and more time with family.
I have always been a strong advocate of the work from home culture. While many of my colleagues attributed that to my ‘casual’ attitude (which is hogwash), work from home actually makes you work more and saves the time you waste while traveling. It is funny seeing the same people acknowledge how effective this system is!
There is lesser pollution, traffic and so much more time. In fact, even after the pandemic is over, companies must let a certain percentage of their employees to work from home — to lessen the burden on the government, healthcare professionals, and firms in general.
A rotational shift will not only keep the challenges in check but will also give us the much-needed time to rejuvenate and recharge at home — while ensuring that the work never suffers. Can you imagine how much more convenient life will become?
Employees will take fewer leaves, they will work more and be more productive. When Microsoft carried out the experiment to give WFH to a certain % of employees, long before the pandemic, the productivity shot up by 40%! I see no reason to NOT give this culture more importance.
Did I mention? — Family
These past few weeks with my family have been the best and the worst times. Some days all of us fought, some days we all sat together and watched a good movie, some days I was on the verge of punching my brother while some days
I would find myself cooking different recipes just to make him happy — but amidst all these opposite scenarios, I realized one thing — you will need nothing else in the world as long as you have a family.
I feel for the bachelors who are staying away from their family and have no means to meet them for a long time now, but you can always video call, talk to them, and connect more.
Family is that one thread that binds us all and what would we be without them? Share your stories, do something nice for them, and watch how much your mental being changes. I say this from experience and believe me — I have frustrating moments with them too! But I would never give up those moments of connections for anything else.
However, though I am of the opinion that this time period has its silver lining — by no means do I mean to say that the deaths that have occurred as a result of this virus, are justified and excusable. It is disheartening to lose even one person to something like this.
But being negative will only worsen what is already bad. Seeing the light and positivity will put the forces of nature in action and create a better tomorrow. My heart goes out to anyone who is losing their loved ones as I know, no other pain is greater than the pain of losing someone. But it is time we take the reins of the matter in our own hands and start embracing and making the changes.
The next logical step for the government of India would be to continue aggressive tests and practice herd immunity (something UK attempted to do but failed miserably). The lockdown period will keep extending unless we take the necessary actions to attack it and stop it because whenever the lockdown ends, the virus will not contain. We must practice social distancing, avoid outside food for as long as we can, and keep sanitizing ourselves. It is the least we can do.
The cloud is dark and scary right now — but just like every other cloud, it too has a silver lining.
