History has seen a large number of disease outbreaks that have directly ravaged the human community, and changed the course of evolution of humans and history, too. Pandemics are disease outbreaks that affect a large number of people – a whole nation, continent, or even the whole world. At times, pandemics have even signaled the end of civilizations, entirely. Their impact is far-reaching – apart from morbidity and mortality, they also have negative social, economic, and political impacts. But, for a common man like me, a civilian, is affected by more serious and indirect terms. The basic idea of a viral pandemic was something that was unanticipated, and something that I truly didn’t care about at the start. But the imposed lockdown was something that stirred great dilemmas, oscillations, and fear at the start. The limelight starred COVID – 19 as the hottest topic, in and around the world. The world, nation, states, districts, communities, streets, and homes, spoke nothing except COVID – 19.
And eventually, quarantine was something that I had to take and the very idea of being locked in the home for months to follow was seeming impossible at first, but then many ideas eventually popped up and executing them, one after the other, seemed to suffice the time I had in quarantine. There was time for reading books, and there were even status updates of the trial cooks! Offering again, life for the childhood album was exciting! And laughs and remarks that ain’t so dumb and few other ideas were the starting point of quarantine for being well spent!
Managing the Engineer’s Role
Being a skilled software engineer, placed in a Kore company, made my life smooth and settled. But, the lockdown had a great economic impact and our company was no exception to it. Yet, standing by the flow, we aimed at finishing all pending documentation in the quarantine and also attending calls from our clients. It wasn’t a smooth sail at the start but then, I got accustomed to it.
My typical quarantine day, starting on helping with few daily chores, and then touching the notion of working from home, then continues to small repeated breaks and attending clients and finally shutting down the laptop after a day am completely done with. Then it again owes completely to kids with whom hide and seek, chess, cricket, and even shuttle is played in the space available amongst the perfect mess. Then the day beautifully ends with a dinner that is eaten together and moving to the bed, with the satisfaction of a good day completed. Productive webinars, if any happening were also attended to stay equipped in the industry.
More Family Life, Less Pressure
Then, family life took a new turn then. A happy family is analogous to heaven. Previously, waking with alarms, eating hastily, running to the office before children woke, and returning late after those slept helped in earning money. But, the incredible amount of happiness in their faces was something never experienced before. It was all about just spending quality time with them. Indoor games, cooking, and helping in dishes as a family, helping mother and wife in maintaining the home as a maid wouldn’t be available, were all novel yet nurturing more love, understanding, and care in the family.
But, quarantine was a hard nut to crack for the children as their brimming energy can’t be utilized completely. But they don’t eventually end up in phones and mobiles and rather involve us too in their worlds! After their sessions of online classes, and even I become a mature child playing with them, as a part of all their games. Call with their friends, small fights for toys and few cute things fill their quarantine childhood.
Learning The Value of Life
But most importantly, the pandemic made each breath to seem highly valuable, and to value the relations that presently surround one. Thus, there was time to remember and talk with old school friends, and talks with them were affable! Not all of the schoolmates came to mind, but a very few, who really mattered the most, where they were called and met in video talks. When life took a turn, with a new choice, we had better visions for life’s equipoise between demands and actual needs.
Lockdown Lessons 101
The lockdown offered great lessons, too that no book taught. The Earth, too, slowly has its heal, and it evidently proved that it’s a possible deal! We had time to view the night sky and admired the stars, there high! Thus, life was all completely different in this lockdown and after knowing what were the needs and wants, life was more peaceful. Only I wished that eyes must continue to see and the hearts must beat. But it was the price of living and I can just do- believing! Thus, lockdown converted impossible to “I’m possible”
Hoping became life’s sum and substance and coping the corona crisis became a part of sustenance! Personally, I learned important lessons in the most bitter way, that would be remembered till doom’s day! People learned to take nothing for granted and it even required that handshakes must be supplanted! Also, ceasing to travel, sell and buy, and bidding them a temporary goodbye wasn’t that difficult.
The virus, thus, though infinitesimal, has had the greatest appeal! We became what we wished to be, from where we were in life’s sea! As a common man, to not touch the face, wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, managing to get family’s needs were all not that easy. It took consistent efforts, endurance, patience. Sometimes, forgetfully hands went to face, and remembered to ward off the hands then! Things that were least concerned turned into highly valued things – for example, personal hygiene and health. The basic efforts at winning fear, accessing the credible and right information, being aware of surroundings, were all important life learnings. Thus, quarantine became a time to ponder about the doings of oneself, one’s family, state, nation, and the whole world as a global citizen!