What I Learnt From Covid- 19

By Diva Gill

If a computer programmer leaves out an important variable when they code, the system crashes. It is time for reset. For far too long men and society have ignored “HOME” as a variable in our work- life equation. The system has crashed and COVID-19 is our reset button. The world is about to be reshaped in ways none of us had ever imagined. In fact the reshaping has already begun. Life is uncertain because when COVID-19 spread I thought that in a matter of time humans would find a cure and this would be put behind us, but it was not. Rather it turned into a global pandemic. When the lockdown kept getting extended and the number of positive cases kept increasing that's when I realised that this was not about to end anytime soon. COVID-19 has happened for a reason just like anything else. We may not be aware of those reasons but when we look at the bigger picture it's pretty much clear that we humans have a lot to learn from this.

Since the announcement of lockdown I have had various realisations and learnings from all of this. Like anything else that has happened COVID-19 has its good and bad. Everybody is talking about the bad including the loss of life, resources and finances but I believe that if we are to survive this pandemic, we must also look at the brighter side while observing every precaution. It is true that nothing will ever make up for the losses we are facing in these hard times. But we must not lose faith and continue to remain optimistic. In normal times social media was always being closely scrutinised in context of the harm that it possessed but today it is being considered a complete blessing. Social media is the only thing that is keeping the world connected today and preventing man from being driven crazy from not socialising. Today, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, Netflix are being considered our saviours from the ultimate boredom in this confinement. The very famous Zoom app is not only helping schools conduct online classes but also helping students carry on with their education hassle free. I have realised that 'work from home' is pretty much a very possible concept. Individuals are doing very well working from home. I have also learnt that it is very normal for everybody to know how to cook. The men in homes have started supporting their families by helping out with house chores. Women, especially housewives will not be asked anymore about what they do all day long. People are realising the efforts made by them instead of taking them for granted like before. The irony is that economies are crashing because buyers are governed by needs not by wants. I have also come to a very funny realisation as well, that is that washing hands was a thing even before COVID-19 but we never seemed to think of it as very important.

I have realised that we have been taking community helpers for granted all this while. We are not the ones risking our lives for the safety of others, it's the doctors, nurses, watchmen, cops, sanitation workers that are. They are on the frontline risking their lives for us. They are sacrificing for our safety and still some people have the courage to abuse them physically and verbally. Governments around the world have taken appropriate measures for the same. People who abuse healthcare workers could end up paying heavy fines and serving jail time as well. Despite the abuses, healthcare workers have responded in a very humble manner saying that they understand the anxiety people are facing. They are refusing to meet with their families for the sake of their safety. They deserve to be paid, appreciated and respected more than they are. In these hard times when we sit at home thinking of accomplishing tasks we were not able to in our daily routines, all that the healthcare workers are worried about is fighting COVID-19 and making it out alive without affecting their own families. They are the real heroes of this world. My biggest realisation about healthcare workers is that they do not need our applause, they need our support. They are grateful that we appreciate them but what they really want is for us stay confined to our homes so that they can do their job properly and together we are able to fight COVID-19. The world today is ready for a nuclear war but not for a pandemic. With all our wisdom, mankind has failed to face a pandemic. Governments all around the world must spend more on their medical infrastructures to prepare for such a crisis.

Virus is not bound by territorial boundaries. It firmly believes in the principle of equality!

COVID-19 may be the deadly virus to us humans, but to mother earth we are the virus and COVID-19 is the cure. Since the worldwide lockdown, there have been massive improvements in nature. In India, March 22 was the 'Janata Curfew', following which; a significant dip in air pollution levels was measured across the country. Cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Lucknow saw their average Air Quality Index (AQI) staying within two digits. Water bodies have also been clearing and the rivers Yamuna, Ganga and Sutlej have seen significant improvement since the enforcement of the nationwide lockdown. According to the real-time water monitoring data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average water quality of 27 points of the Ganga seen in recent days, is suitable for bathing and propagation of wildlife and fisheries. The famous Buddha Nullah's (in Ludhiana) water which was black due to pollution has shown significant improvement as people are not dumping factory waste in it as of now. China and Northern Italy have also recorded significant reductions in their nitrogen dioxide levels. Pertaining to the worldwide lockdown, there have been tremendous improvements in the ozone layer. According to a recent report from NASA, the largest arctic ozone hole ever recorded has now finally closed. This is Mother Earth healing. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Mother Earth healing is the silver lining to this dark cloud of COVID-19. COVID-19 has evinced that we are by earth, earth is not by us. We ought to live in unison with nature to survive.

My ultimate learning is that when all of this is over and the world is back to normal again, we must act upon our learning in these bad times. We must emerge with a completely changed set of priorities and to- do lists. We humans must change so that we do not need another global pandemic like COVID-19 as a wakeup call in the future. For now, we must realise that sometimes it's not the strongest people that survive but the most adaptable ones that do. God bless the world.

By Diva Gill