Lessons learnt during COVID-19 !

 Posted on July 16, 2020 by Ruchi

The other day I wanted to see movie Contagion. Somehow, I ended up seeing the movie Pandemic. So the movie starts with two friends in an Australian beach, one of them is travelling back home to America. At the beach many birds and animals are seen dead. By the time, the boy boards his flight, the other friend is dead and he already has symptoms. Symptoms worsen during flight and he dies too. Meanwhile, the Australian authorities are investigating Bird Flu, and they inform CDC of this boy who might have same symptoms, and is onboard the flight. CDC response team immediately takes action, and quarantines the entire flight. Well, here starts the real controversy, Politicians vs Public Health. People vs Public Health. Human Rights vs Public Health and last but most important Media vs Public health.

The Mayor demands who gave right to CDC?

Media demands quick answers as to why people have been quarantined?

People cite this as denial of their Basic freedom, Their rights !

One smart person actually hides himself in the luggage trolley and runs away as his business meeting is much more important than a health emergency.

I kept thinking about this. Why do we humans behave this way?

The politicians think everything in terms of vote bank. They are more worried if this will be a hoax and in which case they will be losing votes as people will claim “denial of fundamental rights”. Who ever takes health seriously until they are seriously ill? The biggest example of this we can see in the current days, especially in the biggest democracy, United States. They don’t want to wear masks because they feel they are being denied the basic right to fresh air.

Media rather than acting responsibly, always works for TRP, especially ever since the mushrooming of news channels. Breaking News, that’s what they want to bring. How authentic the news is ? How They can project it responsibly is not of any concern. So many promised treatments for COVID 19, and my dad knows more about them thanks to Indian Media. Standardized Protocols require only moderate to severe disease patients be treated with these costly drugs. Mild disease which constitute 80% of patients require just close monitoring and symptomatic treatment.

Finally, why do we people behave the way we do. Why is it so difficult for us to stick to rules? Why are most of always suspicious of ulterior motives? Why we think that everyone is plotting against us? We like to remain in charge and we have every thing planned, and whenever our plans seem to go haywire, we feel threatened. Similarly, our animal instinct pushes us towards thinking we are free beings, while our social identity pulls us back towards our responsibilities in the society.

Covid 19 taught me one thing. Where i come from, its always long term planning, savings for old age! for children ! And for years I was in the same rat race. I was in a position which was difficult and stressful for the kind of personality I am. I would work hard, keep my tickets booked for next 2-3 vacations, and I thought I was happy. In Last 6 months, my three vacation plans got foiled, my planned work schedule was haywire as schools got closed and I was working so hard trying and getting stressed. That’s when i realized I needed to live. Live each day as it comes, and stop worrying about everything else.

What did you learn during this time. Please leave your comments. See you next Thursday.

Photo by Andre Furtado on Pexels.com