“Life” as Atharva Veda describes is not merely a sequence of events from birth to death, but also a culmination of various emotions, feelings and frames of mind where it ushers from the cuddling arms of the parents to the burning arms to the funeral pyre! “Lockdown” on the other hand if interpreted aptly is not an act of being imprisoned but a longer period of discipline and an act towards the Nation. Its a test of mindset wherein we are getting to serve our nation without actually doing anything being back at home!
“Life in a Lockdown” is a stage in our lives which has taught us how fragile a life can be that a mere microbe can knock it off! Me, being a health care professional feel my collars raised seeing that the entire nation is acting as a healthcare system today. Life in a lockdown is a time to shift out temperament from professional to more of a personal arena thinking about ourselves, parents, family, hobbies, our health and allow these aspects to rejuvenate! One of the most renowned spiritual scholars, “Sadguru” of Isha foundation has brilliantly quoted that experience of onself is the most beautiful experience one can have. Not what we have or we have become today, but what we actually are. An act of learning to be in “ease” and not in “dis”ease. He even mentions that our Lockdown life experience has so much to learn from Lord Rama’s exile. The most important reason that we worship him is not because he was a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu but because he has set an example of maintaining an absolute balance within himself despite the external imbalances of his life. There are people today complaining of boredom and lethargy, should also learn from Rama that we havnt been asked to fight a battle or stay in a forest! So why to bear the grunt in our hearts? If we suffer our own company so much, we should be compassionate about the world which suffers us everyday! The problem with this strata of society is not about a situation but about the mind. When we have no external pressures in the form of freaking and fretting demands of workload today, we need to learn to transform our inner selves.
Gaur Gopal Das, a former Hewlett Packard engineer turned Indian lifestyle coach in one of his testimonials on Lockdown once said that we are bestowed with two divine faculties us viz, Vivid sense of memory and a fantastic sense of imagination and also urged the humanity to not let suffer our memory and imagination. Living an exuberant life is possible only when we are able to dance upon the uncertainties of our lives. What life throws at us is not always our choice, but, what we do or make out of it is all in our hands. Its “this” choice we all should be exercising during these Lockdown days.
It was just a few days back that our respected Prime Minister summoned the nation to light diyas for nine minutes with a firm belief that with the richest nations of the world trembling under the onslaught of the virus, we need to come together as “one” irrespective of religious beliefs and political ideologies. Scientifically documented, all lives on the planet are a result of fire of the Sun. Hence, Gautam Buddha said that “if you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path”. The United Nations too with the help of its tributaries has laid forward various tips as time spending options during the Lockdown. As per UNICEF, school shutdown is a chance to make better relationships with our children and teenagers. One on one time makes children feel more loved and secured and also show them that they are important. UNESCO on the other hand has come up with the ideology of Distance Learning Solutions and recommendations! In addition to these, WHO recommends one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate intensity and seventy five minutes of intense physical activities per week or a combination of both.
My own personal experience the days is based on all the aforesaid principles I came across along with the activities for which I once used to get scolded are not pouring vivid signs of pampering by my parents. I am managing to get much more organised, trying to get back to basics, perpetualise the ecstasy of being human grabbing the values of family and relationships better as well as praying for wellbeing and solidarity of ourselves and the nation. Besides this, our family has also made a small contribution to the “PM CARES Fund” for the needy and those who depend on daily wages. In fact that gives me the pleasure of having served various families in the crisis situation.
Last but not the least, in my opinion situations like these where in we are totally left to ourselves, the best act would be the act of kindness towards the poor and more importantly the animals. Secondly, understanding our duties towards one’s own self, society and the nation! Such situations also allow us an open space for our mind and personality to grow and become more broad minded. Its probably the first time since Mahatma Gandhi’s quest for independence that the entire nation has risen unitedly for one single cause- Eradication of the Viral Pandemic! It reminds me of “a letter from a Frenchman” that was recently published where he states that “every morning I wake up thinking how surreal the situation is! By the end of the day, I am telling my neighbour over a text message that I have gotten used to it, Its like the movie, The Groundhog Day, she types back!
Author:
Dr. Aditya Jayan
House Surgeon
NSVK Sri Venkateshwara Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore