Saturday, January 01, 2021 2022
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
May all your dreams come true , wishing you all good fortune, good health, a lot of love, and a lot of fun!
An impeding third wave is hovering upon us as we switch to a new year. How do you think will you remember the pandemic once all of this is over? My pandemic began on the evening of 12th March 2020, when I was forced to rush back to my hometown from college. On the morning of March 12th, I felt as if everyone around was overreacting and unnecessarily creating a panic. I had my semester exam the next day and felt as if it was a ploy against administration to postepone the exams. But the same evening, I got a notification from college that the exams were suspended for the time being and further dates will be communicated later.
Oh, I thought, this must be serious!
In the weeks that followed, friends and relatives narrated similar stories and the Government of India imposed a nationwide 21 day lockdown to control the spread of virus. We all again went through a difficult time in 2021 during the second wave, from which we all know atleast one person who suffered a loss. But I now wonder, how will we remember this pandemic? My pandemic will always begun with the story of cancellation of exams and me taking an overnight train journey to return home. The pandemic has not been a single, traumatic “flashbulb” event like the assassination of a political figure, or a terrorist attack. Instead, it’s a life period in which everyone’s memories will be embedded. We are already shaping our future pandemic narratives in the form of stories we will tell the world. I don’t think people will ever forget March 2020. It was the moment something weird was afoot. When yet to be born babies will ask us about the memories of this pandemic, we will all start with March 2020 - the moment when everything started, which is different for everyone. The other stories may be personal to each and every individual, but all that we’ll remember is collective stories - children sitting in front of Microsoft Teams, college students daydreaming about campus life, people working from home, while some sitting in the dark room jobless. Most of our memories will be in the form of generalities. We will pick up stories from others and try to fit and shape our story based on that. This is how memory works.
Even as we experience an event, we are already beginning to think about how to tell this event to another person at a later time. I have caught myself doing this numerous times! We begin composing our memories in anticipation of sharing them. And this happens more frequently when we go through something terrible.
When this is all over, if it ends well, it’s going to be a great story.
We are surviving an incredibly difficult moment and when all of this ends, and if it ends well, we are most likely to give it a redemptive arc. The pandemic thus far has been filled with redemptive stories. Stories of people recovering, getting their first booster shots, having family dinners, finding hope in the moment of despair, less polluted skies. We are living through times, which will emerge out as a theme for many of the future tales. Tales of people finding strength, courage and offering kindness despite all the odds.
See you on next Saturday, until then have a great weekend :)
Cheers!
Some things that you may find interesting-
Article: Life Lessons From 2021
Movie: Don’t look up
Podcast: The Joe Rogan Experience - Robert Downey Jr.
Song I am listening to: Till Then by Mill Brothers
Thought of the week: “There is no one to fix, only yourself to improve.”
Here are the last three posts if you were too occupied to read them: