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A Pandemic Story
The summer of 2020 brought with it the chaos of a pandemic, lockdown, political turmoil as well as fraying strands of nationalist feelings amongst people all over the world. In my opinion, these past three months have been the biggest challenge I had to face. Socializing reached an all-time low, all our amenities were now present in our phones, and going out of our houses was not on option. Such situations seemed straight out of a book or a movie, but this was what real life had become. Even though the conditions have improved, we are not in any way back to normal again. However, we all did make it through the hardest time humanity has had to face as one, and this is how I turned this challenge into an opportunity.
Initially, I did not fully comprehend to what extent this pandemic will affect my life. It began with a notice for school being canceled for two days, and before I knew it, the precautionary measure was becoming routine! Attending school had been postponed until the crisis was overcome, but nobody knew how long that would take. With that came the first of many challenges, the end of school.
Online school was a new experience- undoubtedly chaotic for the first month but a lot of fun for the next! We were unfamiliar with just how developed technology had become, and to discover the pleasure of uploading assignments online, and connecting with our teachers and classmates through meetings was eye-opening! The excessive screen time was worrying too, but solutions and fixtures were quickly found to combat the ills of being completely dependent on technology.
I planned a schedule, consolidating enough work to fill all the leisure time that staying home and vacations brought. It was time to develop healthier habits and complete the tasks I had originally put off for later owing to no time. I resolved to pick up new hobbies to fill up the excessive free time and begin working again on any projects that I had never gotten around to perfecting. There were many lessons to be found in this process, and it was shocking yet pleasantly surprising to see everyone around me improve their lives and be a part of a group of people who are not letting such a significant trial get to them. Only humanity can find beauty in chaos. People keeping their differences aside and focusing on what truly matters is the positivity we all needed to see in the world.
Living on lockdown is an opportunity, as it has given us time to reflect. On ourselves, our relationships, and what’s important to us. For some of us, that means reaching out to old acquaintances or healing old wounds with people we once thought we’d never speak to again. And in a way, the technology that helps us reconnect makes restoring relationships easier: the screen gives us an element of distance, however, we can tap directly into those emotional connections we need to get us through this crisis.
Recently during the global lockdown, life came to a standstill. I found that I had nowhere to go but stay indoors. However, lockdown and isolation ironically gave me enough time to include habits and actions in my life that will help make it the best it can be! While the lockdown recommences, I can say one thing for sure – this occurrence has changed my outlook on life. The perspective shift I have had during this confusing time is extremely powerful. It is unprecedented, just like the times we are in right now. These changes have presented the world to me in a different light.
