After being detected in Wuhan, China, COVID-19, an unknown virus became the scariest word in 2020 as it gradually became a pandemic from an epidemic. As it started spreading globally, people became fearful, petrified, and experienced a life never known before to even my grandparents. I must admit that sitting at home during virtual school classes did leave me ample time and prompted me to write this blog. I gradually adapted to a new routine filled with less physical interactions, more hygienic lifestyle, abundant time for connecting more with my family and friends, even catching up with a lot of procrastinated jobs ( My mom has been after me to create folders for all our family pics and clean up the phones and laptops)
Here are some of my positive realizations during COVID times:
Best thoughts and innovations happen during a crisis
Many new inventions happened due to necessity and high demand during the crisis. As they say, “Necessity is the mother of invention”. Some of these inventions are hands-free curved door handles, sanitizing and alerting robots, cheaper ventilators. A German café used pool noodles to maintain distance, however weird it might seem, it was efficient. One of my favorites Nintendo games, Animal Crossing recreated popular locations, such as Sentosa Island, Singapore, and a KFC where you can win a real-life meal for free! (Tom Nook is making a lot of money 😉). Many of the famous museums and travel destinations around the world offered virtual tours. When people were fighting boredom, such an idea allowed people to experience some nice holiday destinations.
The tough times encouraged some refugees at a camp in Jordon to design a hand sanitizer dispensing Lego robot using their Robotics knowledge. An 18-year-old student from Ethiopia invented a contact-free hand washer. In the United Kingdom, Dr. Rhys Thomas, with an engineering company CR Clark & Co of Ammanford, developed a simple and robust basic ventilator in only three days, which not only helped patients breathe but also clears the room of viral particles. Something that I found especially intriguing is the use of Robotics during these tough times. A Danish company created robots that destroy microbes using Ultraviolet light. From creating designer face masks to making the best use of Robotics, haven’t we seen an upsurge of some nice ideas and inventions?
Corona times helped us re-discover ourselves
Restrictions and lockdowns brought big changes in our daily lifestyle. The never-ending hustle and bustle of routine came to a halt. Schools, offices, restaurants closed and suddenly we all found ourselves in a different space. For most of us, it gave us an opportunity to revisit our life- our routine, our priorities and goals, even our relationships. The abundance of time gave us a lot of opportunities to spend quality time with our family or catching up on our forgotten friends and relatives or reading a book that we never found time for. Some of us indulged in learning new skills and finding new interests such as cooking, baking, learning a language, sports, exercising Yoga, and even spirituality. My 80-year-old grandfather wrote two books. He also learned to provide consultation to his patients on Zoom. My dad took up the online ‘Inner Engineering’ course. I tried my hands at understanding Python besides catching up on my sleep that had never been enough for years. I also played some of the best songs on Guitar.
Simple living is not a bad idea
Our lifestyle has changed into a simpler, routine lifestyle during this pandemic. Conscious consumption, like spending less, lower energy use, shorter work hours, brought some nice change for some. More than shopping or roaming around, we saw people focusing on simple living and eating with an emphasis on physical and mental health. At times I realized that we could do so easily without branded clothes, excess partying, and so much more. Enjoying a simple home-cooked meal, playing a board game with my dad, shuffling through my childhood pictures, re-reading my favorite Harry Potter series brought so much solace for a change. I guess we all get bored and frustrated sometimes. But have we not also enjoyed the stress-free phase after we made peace with the existence of the virus and our anxiety translated into living a simple, very natural lifestyle?
The COVID-19 pandemic is on cleansing drive
From frequent washing of our hands to maintaining safe distances, we all are back to our hygiene etiquettes. I have started following my mother’s rule of changing to house shoes at home and washing my hands properly before all meals. I guess we all have been on a cleaning mission since the break of the pandemic whether its disinfecting homes and neighborhood, taking extra caution of what we bring home, being more responsible with our garbage disposal and the environment. Due to a reduction in traffic and general outings, nature is now cleaner due to lesser trash and pollution. We have been saving on gas, electricity, and so much more. The effects of the lockdown showed us how big change pollution makes. The quality of air is better with a drop in CO2 emissions, wildlife is supposed to be flourishing more. For Example; In New York pollution was reported to be reduced by nearly 50%. People in a town in India claimed to see a far-off mountain range that was not visible for around 100 years!! The role of COVID-19 in healing the nature is still debatable but we have definitely become more responsible towards personal hygiene and care about the environment
Every problem has a solution: A future full of possibilities
As harsh and damaging this pandemic has been, there are always hopes for a better future. All these months we have learned some good lessons and tried to manage things at each level. From the initial fear and anxiety of Covid-19, we transitioned into understanding the problem and finding short term and long-term solutions against it. From using face masks to maintaining hygiene, to social distancing and lockdowns, from finding alternatives to creating major scientific breakthroughs, we have come a long way. As Madam Curie says. “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less”.
From me to you to society and to the governments, everyone is doing their bit. COVAX is a global initiative that is working with vaccine manufacturers to provide safe and effective vaccines. About 150 countries are participating in it. More than 100 vaccinations are in testing and have probably made progress by this time. This ensures fast medical inventions and the production of medical products in the future. Also, other inventions such as delivery robots are a preview of the future. Countries across the globe are learning to deal with the economic crisis and I strongly believe that we will soon tide over the crises because every problem has a solution.
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