The last couple of months have been surreal for most of us - and nightmare to many others. People have lost loved ones, lost their livelihood, lost companionship and many joy and cheer. In recent times the most common words I have heard are "unprecedented," "crisis," "global," and of course the name of the virus which I just don't want to use. Life will never be the same for many of us but what we take from this crisis and how we handle it is what is going to define our character.
It's been a few days since we have been allowed to expand our social bubble and meet our friends and families again. An anecdote about how a 6 year old was aghast when a loved one tried to invade his social distance space by more than the defined 6ft , made me wonder if this is how we will be living in the coming years. I never realized how much I miss a friends' warm hug.
If there is one lesson that I have learnt in this pandemic, it is to be kind. Kindness is the foundation of human nature. We cannot be kind selectively, based on community, religion, or nationality. Kindness needs to be universal and unbiased . One thing that the pandemic has taught us as human beings, is that we are all one. A virus that infected someone thousand of miles away can have an impact on your life here. We are all connected and can no longer ignore tragedies happening continents away.
Life as we know it is on pause for now. We have all lost something - jobs, loved ones, freedom, and maybe hope. Some have lost more than others and some will take longer to recover from the grief of losing. Losses, especially when they are unexpected can make the best of us bitter and even fearful. And this is where we all come in together. It is our primary duty as human beings to help each other. To give when we can, a smile, kind words and money.
I find that every time I focus on my problems, my problems become monsters that distorts the reality and creates anxiety. Not to undermine my problems, I do find that when I focus on others, try and empathize and be kind, I am filled with gratitude, starting with just being thankful to be alive and breathing.
I worry - have spent sleepless nights too - worry about the uncertain times, worry about whether I will still be working in the coming weeks, and worry about the health of my family, physical and mental. Yet, I also find that in this time of introspection, I have come to realize what my priorities are in life, my core group of loved ones, the one I rely on emotionally has become more defined and so have the need to just live a simple life. I have started to value my evening walks, technology that keeps me connected and sane, and the people that I am still able to interact with on day to day basis. I dread that I might never see my family and friends back home, dread that I won't be able to cope with all the new rules of living a normal life, yet I am optimistic that we will come out stronger as a species and one day will be able to hug and have human contact without fear.
I had read somewhere on the social media that we are not all sailing the same boat although it is the same storm. And this is the biggest lesson that I have learnt. Don't judge and be kind. In today's world of self-promotion and easy access to media albeit social, it is very easy to be swayed into arguments and opinions that are not based on facts.
It's been a few days since we have been allowed to expand our social bubble and meet our friends and families again. An anecdote about how a 6 year old was aghast when a loved one tried to invade his social distance space by more than the defined 6ft , made me wonder if this is how we will be living in the coming years. I never realized how much I miss a friends' warm hug.
If there is one lesson that I have learnt in this pandemic, it is to be kind. Kindness is the foundation of human nature. We cannot be kind selectively, based on community, religion, or nationality. Kindness needs to be universal and unbiased . One thing that the pandemic has taught us as human beings, is that we are all one. A virus that infected someone thousand of miles away can have an impact on your life here. We are all connected and can no longer ignore tragedies happening continents away.
Life as we know it is on pause for now. We have all lost something - jobs, loved ones, freedom, and maybe hope. Some have lost more than others and some will take longer to recover from the grief of losing. Losses, especially when they are unexpected can make the best of us bitter and even fearful. And this is where we all come in together. It is our primary duty as human beings to help each other. To give when we can, a smile, kind words and money.
I find that every time I focus on my problems, my problems become monsters that distorts the reality and creates anxiety. Not to undermine my problems, I do find that when I focus on others, try and empathize and be kind, I am filled with gratitude, starting with just being thankful to be alive and breathing.
I worry - have spent sleepless nights too - worry about the uncertain times, worry about whether I will still be working in the coming weeks, and worry about the health of my family, physical and mental. Yet, I also find that in this time of introspection, I have come to realize what my priorities are in life, my core group of loved ones, the one I rely on emotionally has become more defined and so have the need to just live a simple life. I have started to value my evening walks, technology that keeps me connected and sane, and the people that I am still able to interact with on day to day basis. I dread that I might never see my family and friends back home, dread that I won't be able to cope with all the new rules of living a normal life, yet I am optimistic that we will come out stronger as a species and one day will be able to hug and have human contact without fear.
I had read somewhere on the social media that we are not all sailing the same boat although it is the same storm. And this is the biggest lesson that I have learnt. Don't judge and be kind. In today's world of self-promotion and easy access to media albeit social, it is very easy to be swayed into arguments and opinions that are not based on facts.
