The point of this pandemic

If a research could find out what is going on in the minds of people during this time, it will project a huge word cloud of countless words from nature healing, frugality, stockpiling and anxiety to havoc.

Easter came and went by. Mother’s Day came and went and so did many who had their ‘once in a lifetime in quarantine’ birthdays. There’s a bit of melancholy about what’s happening. Plans washed away or tweaked, shutters and factories shut and doors always closed..

The cost we are paying

Some people are feeling on top of the world to be able to skip the anguish of the morning commute and work in their PJs, even if it for longer hours. A relative I spoke to explained how the nature is healing and teaching us a lesson and another set of people are thinking what is the point of this pandemic really, if life goes back to normal or worse - becomes worse. This change is big and sudden. Compared to this, the advent and rise of Internet was life-changing (in a positive way) and gradual and so were the many wars in the distant past. Besides the cost of human lives lost, there is a big economic, emotional and social cost that this pandemic is making us pay.

Another friend agonizes over a call whether to pay her talented cook for the next few months or not, since many are considering even the need of having household help post quarantine. Schedules of people have changed and so have their priorities!

The new normal?

Everyone is trying to put up a brave front that this is the new normal to be comfortable with, but is it really what the mind is thinking? It definitely doesn’t want this as the new normal. The debate of whether this is the new normal or not is pointless in situations where there is no control and no way to know really.

With each day being the cut and paste of the previous day, wonder who reads the horoscopes these days, even those who don’t believe but used to check for just fun, once in a while (oh, not me!!). Getting used to ‘not being busy’ for a change is becoming difficult, especially on weekends. When a child comments that Netflixing has become boring, then it is time to look up to the sky and pray.