Now What?

Now What?

Most of us have been caught unawares! Corona which seemed like a distant news piece was limited to China and Europe, but suddenly it seems to have landed at our front yards and is knocking on our doors. Things which were seen and heard only in the Sci-Fi movies are now a reality. Humanity is wearing a mask, suspicion and fear lurks everywhere. VUCA, the buzzword is playing out in front of your eyes, the situation seems to be extremely Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Most of all there is no place to run! All exit routes seemed to be shut.

In the Naval parlance, your ship has been torpedoed! So, what next? Well, this is a question that comes up so naturally when you are in the midst of a disaster. First thing, personal safety, do you have your life jacket on? In our context, are you healthy and have the basics available? Food, water, shelter and means of communication. If yes then only can you help the people who depend on you. Make sure that they wear their lifejackets too, that is that everyone takes all the necessary precautions and protect themselves.

Once safe, we need to do damage control, the ship can’t sink, it has to stay afloat at all costs. This has to be a team effort. In the current scenario, there are thousands of health workers, doctors, administrative services, policemen/women, essential supply providers such as electricity and water suppliers who are risking themselves but containing the damage. Supply chains providing basic needs to sustain and most of all the sanitation workers and services along with others are keeping the ship afloat. You can do your bit by supporting them and following the norms and rules that can help them. Adhering to ‘lockdowns/quarantines’ is what you need to do to keep your part of the ship safe and prevent further damage.

Then comes the most difficult part, do you have the will to fight back or do you surrender, your Ship has been hit but not sunk! This is the time you formulate a strategy and fight back. There is no scope for surrender.

The fightback has to be at different levels. At the national level, the governments need to ensure that a basic safety net is provided to all in the form of shelters for the needy, health services and distribution of essential supplies is maintained. Medical infrastructure is boosted and that all efforts are taken to contain this pandemic.

The Economic impact of decisions taken need to be kept in mind as they would directly impact the will of the people to fight this epidemic. Empathy by big business houses and the privileged will be the key in this fight, it will ensure that morale is high and provide the much-needed ammunition and the will to continue fighting.

Reporting by media needs to be positive and accurate. Minute by minute inputs of the increasing number of deaths and infections flashing on the dashboards of news on digital medium won’t help the cause. It is better to have a central repository of data regarding the epidemic and let the information be available on-demand or a ‘click’ rather being popped up on the news scrolls and screens every few seconds. Remember, the mind is the most crucial weapon in this struggle for survival.

Last but not the least, we will not leave anyone behind, reinforcements will come. The scientific community, research foundations and pharma companies need to work 25 hours a day and get us the antidote, till the time there is hope that a rescue is on the way, a torpedoed ship and its crew will continue to strive and fight back.

So, coming back to the question, now what? Well, where do you fit in the scheme of things? Where ever you are and whatever you are doing, make sure that you do what is expected of you and that your actions support others because remember this time, together we survive or together we sink and perish.