Lessons from COVID – 19….

Corona epidemic has spread like wild fire across the world. Fear of being infected ( if not of death) has gripped every individual.  It won’t be wrong to say that Fear pandemic has affected the world in much higher proportions than Corona virus actually has. Every nation has formulated its own strategy to counter the spread of virus. As the struggle goes on the pandemic has brought out many lessons of life. Most of us are doing things which we might have never imagined we would be doing ever. COVID has brought us face to face with realities of life. Here are some of the lessons based on my experience or what I have seen / heard as an Indian citizen.

God exists everywhere……

Every religion speaks of God being omni-present, infact, it is believed He/ She exists in every human being. If that be so why do we all make a beeline to places of worship to have a ‘Date’ with God, why can’t we have a meeting in the comfort of our homes. That is what is actually happening now; every faithful is meeting his God one to one, without feeling the need of a mediator or an interpreter. I hope this trend continues and there are no fights in the name of places of worship, in future.

Many have questioned the sheer presence of God. If God is there then why so many people suffering from the virus directly or indirectly. Well that’s the lesson; Don’t rush to God at the onset of every problem. Maybe HE / SHE is getting overloaded with mundane correspondence/ requests received from the world over that certain important issues may be getting delayed attention. In my view God has given us humans a brain and ability to think and analyse and He wants all humans to use the resources at hand to face the adversity and not run to Him for solutions.

Thank God that there no deaths due to accidents, suicides or any other unnatural cause during this period. There are no reports of rapes or robberies. People are learning to live a simple life with minimum needs.

Nature responds…..

There were enough warnings, the environment was getting polluted way beyond the acceptable levels and still little actions were being taken by the nations across the globe to cut down the causes. When things go beyond a limit Nature always responds in the form of earthquakes, floods and various other natural disasters. May be this time it has chosen to respond in the form of a virus to purify the environment. Air and water bodies are much cleaner and there is just no noise pollution.

Leadership matters…..

The basic task of a leader is to take people on board, make decisions and have a worthwhile plan for implementation. Everything may not go as per original plan, there may be problems causing hardship to people. A strong leader is one who will have the heart to accept the mistakes, make mid-course corrections and move on. Across nations, wherever the leadership had the heart and soul to make tough decisions the spread of the virus is under check.

Government servants perform….

Government servants as also the government services both don’t enjoy a good spoken reputation among the masses. Majority will want privatisation in every possible sector but the corona pandemic will certainly change this opinion of people. It’s the government servants, irrespective of the field they are from, have performed and gone beyond the call of duty to save lives, to save humanity. One major reason for this, in my view is that there has been no visible unnecessary political interference in the functioning of the civil servants. A humble request to the PM of India to let the trend continue, the nation will grow leaps and bound, we will win every battle.

The public supports a reasonable cause……

People of India have always exhibited resilience, determination and whole hearted support for any National cause whether it was a battle forced on the nation from across the border or the battle against the pandemic. If people don’t understand and support, no plan can ever succeed. People of India, barring few exceptions here and there, have stood stoutly behind the Government in the fight. It is a must for the leader to make the public aware of the need for an action being taken and enlist their support before undertaking any mission. Government of India has generally kept the people aware of corona pandemic and the various actions being taken to prevent the spread and save lives/ livelihood. Failure of communication has generally been the basic cause for resultant chaos which took place in few places.

Maintain reserves for a rainy day….

The pandemic has shown that it is as important for every household as for the Governments to maintain adequate reserves for meeting any contingency. Every family has to maintain a reserve of basic needs including medicines to last a month at least and have enough money to survive six months without a job. If need be the expenditure has to be controlled by curtailing consumption.

Set the priorities right…. Education matters….

The only priority for every government and individual should be to arrest spread of the virus and save lives at any cost. Paying an economic prize is inevitable and should be accepted. If fundamentals are sound economy will bounce back ang jobs will be restored. Governments are duty bound to keep abreast with happenings in the world and keep the populace educated about the likely resultant effects in the nation and taken timely steps to mitigate the resultant problems. Instead of creating ruckus over availability of toilet papers and hoarding sanitisers people should have paid more attention to learning and implementing measures to cut down spread of virus and stocking adequate basic needs. Basic medicines like paracetamol, cough rubs and syrups and a good meal are of much more importance than the toilet paper for surviving the lock-downs and the pandemic.

Patience and perseverance pays….

In any adversity, it is patience and perseverance along with quick thinking and a measured response which sees a person through.  COVID 19 has shown that it has not touched anyone who has patiently waited for it to arrive at his home. The virus has shown itself to be a “social animal” who shakes hands or hugs you at public places generally. Stay home stay safe and if it still somehow catches you have perseverance and you will live through it.

Family time is the best time….

Most of us had chosen to make our life /work schedules such that there was hardly any time for the family. There was hardly ‘Me’ time either. Pandemic has given us both; time to be with the family and to be with ourselves. Many men would have realised during this period how their kids normally behave and that their wife actually has a ‘FULL TIME JOB’ at hand. Most men and woman in professional career would have realised how much time they actually waste in their offices, meetings and conferences. I sincerely pray that spending quality family time becomes a norm in every household.

Economy suffers….

In every natural disaster or pandemic economy is bound to suffer and it will be more pronounced this time around with the nation on stand still mode. Nations will be stretched beyond limits and it will require innovative dynamism on parts of governments to pull back the losses and take care of needs of the citizens.

“The pandemic is there and medicine is simple…..Just maintain physical distance & personal hygiene..…No need to cut off socially”

“INDIA WILL WIN”