Written By Milee Jain (Grade 8)
“Challenges are what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes them meaningful.” This quote makes us realise that life has its twists and turns, and some challenges leave a mark and prevent us from making repeated mistakes. The Corona Virus – a major challenge for us all, has brought the world to a standstill. The things we once enjoyed doing and the places we loved to travel have all come to an abrupt halt. The virus has affected the lifestyle of every individual and family.
As the worldwide quarantine continues, so does the boredom and monotony of staying indoors and being confined in limited areas. We all know the impact of quarantine and the time that we have spent “locked down” has had on us. Days seem to melt together, and, on occasions, time just seems to slow down. It can sometimes be hard to discern between what’s a real threat and what is just mindless panic. People are cooped up at home abiding the pandemic rules and going out at their own risk. Social distancing leads us to meet up virtually viewing only the pixelated faces of our friends. The streets are devoid of population, while the only sounds we hear are of the gentle breeze whistling throughout or birds cawing rather than the usual honking of cars or the drilling of huge machines at construction sites. Stock markets have crashed down and the mask and sanitizer companies are the only ones which seem to be doing well.
Amidst this pandemic, we are witnessing several inhumane activities and appalling misdeeds of the human race. The horrific act of suffocating a black man, the barbaric thoughts behind feeding a pregnant elephant cracker filled pineapples or torturing to death a little girl just because she let some birds free – we at this time question the mere existence of humanity. We are dealing with a virus, inhumanity and unfortunately, this time has had a rather negative effect on individuals, like the rise in depression, anxiety and other pessimistic feelings.
But what if we try finding a different perspective in these times? Some people have used the time of quarantine in positive ways: spending more quality time with their families, learning new skills, getting sufficient sleep and exercising more. We also are eating home-cooked food to add to our health boons. Outside, the natural world has continued to rumble on and even shown signs of benefiting from our absence. The air is cleaner and visibility has increased. Holes in the ozone layer above Antarctica have healed. Rather than fixing your mindset on the bleak and gloomy effects of COVID-19, let’s try to look at this time with a positive mind. Improving our skills and getting better at things we never paid attention before can help us in the future.
These hard times have also taught us various things and how to learn from our mistakes. The two famous Japanese cities: Hiroshima & Nagasaki have grown to be the most technologically advanced places in the world after being completely torn to bits and pieces after the nuclear attack. We too can learn from this example and benefit our selves during these times.
Featured Image Courtesy – Economic Times