COVID 2020 - A CALL FOR RETURN TO CIVILITY ?

Living through a global pandemic is a surreal and depressing experience. These are unprecedented times and we are all faced with many daunting challenges. A combination of the paranoia of facing an invisible enemy, the lack of house help, chaotic WFH schedules, imminent financial hardships and a general uncertainty regarding well being of our loved ones is quite understandably overwhelming.

It is therefore quite essential that we look for encouraging , uplifting and positive aspects of this crisis that we are being forced to live through. Looking for a silver lining or important life lessons in these bleak times is one way of coping with the darkness in our minds. And there is no dearth of life lessons in these times for someone who is willing to look. COVID 2020 has brought with itself a return to minimalism, a greater awareness regarding ecological sustainability and a renewed respect for doctors, teachers and other front line workers' contribution to our lives.

The one lesson that stands out for me is the importance of discipline and civility in our everyday lives. Allow me to explain - in the post lock-down era when the temples, mosques and other places of worship reopen - we will all be expected to alter our public behavior to accommodate medically recommended social distancing norms. We would be expected to maintain distance from others while we contemplate God in silence. Ritual offerings which had devolved into pointless pomp and show. ( Large event gatherings with tons of food that no one eats) will no longer be allowed. We will be expected to stand in designated spots, and quietly wait for our turn for 'darshan'. If you think about it, these things are but hallmarks of civility - and are not undesirable restrictions, really. Come to think of it, these post lock-down 'norms' are both an excuse and a chance for us to be disciplined and civil with each other once again.

This re- evaluation ( and correction ) of routine behaviors is not limited to religious practices either. It is all pervasive. Washing one's hands, staying connected with one's family, prioritizing health over money and buying only what one needs are hardly new lessons. The irony is that we'd forgotten the most basic ' good manners' as a society - and it has taken a global contagion to remind us of things that we should have always been doing. It is quite possible that if as a society, we had not let go of these basic tenets of discipline and civility, the pandemic wouldn't have caused the damage that it has.

But, like they say, it's never too late to learn. Given that we are reading this post on an internet enabled professional networking platform in the midst of a global pandemic - when some people are struggling to walk home - should underline at least two things for all us. One, that we are all privileged to have access to substantial resources even amidst a global calamity which means we can all afford to be more generous with those who are less fortunate; and two, that we have made unprecedented scientific progress as a society which should be cherished and preserved. We owe it to ourselves (and our children) to hold on to the positive habits, traits and actions that have brought us this far. Traits of discipline, conscientiousness, civility and empathy should not be forgotten once this pandemic is behind us. COVID-2020 has re -taught us some valuable lessons - and we would do well never to forget them ever again.