Amidst the ongoing pandemic of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, changes, in both directions of the axis, are worth observing in people. They are getting recommendations from WHO and their governments to reduce foot traffic, practice isolation, and observe quarantine. Giving a person some time to isolate gives one a chance to reflect on our lives. Perhaps that was the view of observing quarantine until things changed.
Mother Nature unleashed a disaster on earth, at least that’s how they put it. But every yin has a yang. It completely depends on the perspective to perceive a thing as a disaster or a chance. But the current situations suggest that even if we do try to have an optimistic view, the world just forces us to act pessimist.
From governments to economies to fancy companies to business maintenance, and of course, personal lives, the pandemic has put its mark everywhere. Since personal lives are the building blocks of almost everything. ideally, a strain on a personal life means a strain on the overall performance of a country.
Time for some holidays
What’s better to do on holidays than sleep tight till noon. Get up. Eat. Enjoy. Repeat. Only that these are not natural holidays… these are the holidays enforced upon humans by their Mother Nature. A chance to reflect upon one’s life. What are you missing in life? What do you want from life?
These are the holidays that demand you meditating at 6 in the morning. See the dawn breaking and birds singing their songs. Be thankful for everything around you. Feel the April winds over your skin bruised by the harsh world. Cherish the blooming flowers and green of grass forcing its way out of winter’s yellow.
But perhaps the humans have misinterpreted the nature’s call. Just like we always do. So the people decided to sleep late excusing that it’s time for them to rest. They decided to spend more time on their phones so the UV can damage their eyes. Instead of going to a garden and filling their eyes with the light of singing flowers, they decided to spend more time on TV.
Not that using phones is a discouraging act; it’s the demand of today’s world. But as the old cliché saying goes ‘extent of everything is bad’. Hence concentrating on worldly activities as a whole shouldn’t be the top priority. Observing nature and doing small things like witnessing dawn can be an experience full of joy and bliss.
Social media 1: Skill learning 0
Although the newly forming, creative challenges are overtaking social media as more and more people try them out. Posting an embarrassing picture of yourself as a part of a challenge does not necessarily come in the definition of skill.
Isolation from the world to help prevent the spread of the pandemic can be a great time for learning something new. Another skill, a new language, or anything else it could be anything. In contrast though, people can be observed spending their time doing things that don’t bring substantial change in their lives. An example can be practicing overwhelmingly for a new workout challenge on Instagram.
The workout itself is a good start in improving physique, considering sitting all day at home can have adverse effects. However, a workout for video purposes is as good as not doing it at all. A routined workout is a more preferred way to go.
As people find themselves in isolation from the rest of the world, they are turning more towards using socially active apps. TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are currently consuming most of the time of the general public.
Conclusion
People tend to love entertainment and freedom, and a routined, scheduled day can bring exhaustion to them even by their sound. Public, instead of improving their gardening skills in the spring, tend to watch gardening videos more on YouTube. Instead of learning to bake interesting and delicious food, people tend to watch mesmerizing ASMR videos online.
The pandemic has given us a reflection of our selves. Who we are when we are not what we are to the outside, scheduled world. And the answer, sadly, is quite disappointing.