Coronavirus – A Passing Terror With Lifelong Lessons
Coronavirus or COVID-19 is the first of its kind calamity, at least in my generation, that has brought together the entire world. Yes, it’s a dangerous situation. We have been asked to stay home and basically refrain from living a normal life. As a travel blogger, my life isn’t affected much from the point of view that my work is already location independent and I don’t need to step out of the house every day.
But yes, as a traveler, I have been affected a lot. I was supposed to travel today to one of my most favorite destinations – I had planned everything, booked everything. Besides travel, I had envisioned it to be a ‘writing’ break for me.
Well, like so many of us, I had to take a call and shelve my travel plans in order to stay safe and keep others safe, too.
I will stay home till it’s declared safe to travel by the authorities and experts. I will continue to keep myself informed and continue to keep my followers conscious of the situation.
Also read: How To Be Happy During A Pandemic?
My sources of COVID-19 updates:
Ministry Of Health & Family Welfare India
I’m not fearful. And, I want to encourage you to be cautious, responsible and courageous. There’s nothing to be scared of, because I know that God is in control. I might upset some people by mentioning God here, but I have to say what I believe in.
Coronavirus outbreak has put a break in our lives. We can’t go to the malls, restaurants, movie theaters, events, and parties. We can’t hang out with our friends. But, it’s more for our good than bad. I want to look at it positively. Yes, it’s real and alarming that the world economy is likely going to crumble. Therefore, we need to do our best to control the virus from spreading so rapidly. The more responsibility we take as individuals, the easier it would be for governments to curb this pandemic.
While COVID-19 is so contagious and it’s inevitable to rub shoulders with it for most of us, unless we totally stay isolated, it’s a passing terror. It’s not going to last forever. So, let’s smile about it.
This is a downtime for the world.
Let’s be homebound and learn the lessons that Coronavirus has got for us.
First and foremost, the world needs to become humble. The world is full of self-conceited people, and when I say that we need to learn humility, I’m pointing fingers at myself, too. I’m not trying to teach lessons to anybody. I’m trying to learn and share what I’m learning.
It’s your chance to slow down, reflect, and understand a lot of things going around you. It’s your chance to have a chat with yourself.
Humility is a deep topic. It has various dimensions to it. In today’s world, most people have a materialistic approach to life. Well, money is a necessity. But, is it greater than your creator? If it were, it would have saved you from this virus. Isn’t it? Who in the world can stand in the face of this disease and say that I can deal with you because I have money? Whether you are rich or poor, you need to be isolated to be safe.
“As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” – Psalm 103:15 (The Bible)
You are a mere man. No matter how educated, intelligent, knowledgeable, experienced, well-traveled, affluent, popular, charming and beautiful you are, you are still helpless in a situation like this.
Overcome the fear of tomorrow. I believe after we have survived this pandemic, most of us will understand that we don’t have any control over our lives, no matter what we do or achieve. The wisest thing to do is to invest in each day of your life – in yourself, in your relationships, work, dreams and projects. The more you live with a purpose, the less fearful you are. I live with a purpose to travel.
You don’t need social approval all the time. Today’s society is all about being the best. There’s a constant pressure on each one of us to live in a certain way, especially the folks in the big cities have dual lives. Everybody wants to be “accepted” and fit into the environment they are in. There are few who are able to live beyond what’s expected of them. Perhaps this time of staying at home will develop a sense of self-worth in most of us. You will learn to appreciate yourself more, and enjoy your own company.
Get closer to your family. It’s your chance to build relationships. Have conversations with your parents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts, and of course spouses. Understand that we need each other. Marriages are precious.
A lot of people are advising you to watch movies on Netflix, but I would suggest don’t be too glued to technology. Social distancing doesn’t mean you should lose connection with people. Call up friends who are away.
Don’t complicate things. Let the world be the way God created it. Don’t mess with it – environmentally, socially or morally. God made everything perfectly. Let’s not lose control to an extent when it gets really hard to deal with it. The so-called modern, liberal and progressive generation of today doesn’t know that we will have to deal with the repercussions after a decade or two from now.
See things from a different perspective, from a more optimistic point of view. All of us live stressful lives. We think negative. Our time just slips away. We have no control over our days. We visit therapists to seek help. But, do we realize what we really need to do? We need to slow down a little bit, make our lives simpler, and shrug off the unnecessary pressure that weighs us down.
Don’t waste resources. Let’s be conscious about our resources – food, water, electricity, and all sorts of daily essentials. Let’s use what we need and conserve what we don’t. You don’t have to be casual about what you have because you have it. Value what you have and use it wisely. Don’t hoard stuff so much that others don’t get anything. Be sensible.
Coronavirus #stayathome season is to make us conscious of what we are doing to ourselves and to the world at large.
Here’s what I miss when I’m not traveling.
Make the most of this downtime. You cannot control your life. The only thing you can control is what you think and how you act. The governments will change, the economies will waver, the calamities will come, but you can be constant.
Take care of yourself.
Also read: Post Lockdown Travel – How To Be Safe?
What’s your take on this ‘break’ that we have been given? Do you think it’s going to help us become a better world in the long run?
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