Page 81 - Magazine

Seeking Opportunity Amidst Uncertainty

Hold on, pain ends. If ‘nobody is exempted from the trials of life’ had a paradigm, it
would be the Covid-Pandemic because nobody really is. Where most of the people are
taking precautions and staying back at home to stay unaffected, some are trying to adapt
to the current situation and consider the disease as the new normal. But something that
is common for all is uncertainty.

Everyone is in a quandary and paused in perplexity. House confinement can easily be
practised for the first few weeks by obsessing over new habits, but a prolonged lack of
routine and porting activities can increase the occurrence of distress and psychological
disorders. Sticking to electronic devices for hours causes many acute and chronic
diseases, but there is no alternative for them, when it comes to online classes, audio/
video calls, etc. Moreover, Homo sapiens is a highly social species, and not meeting
people for long durations is something we cannot cope with.

It is this time when faith shows its dynamic nature to those who have a strong will and
the determination to certainly live through these uncertain times. We must understand
the fact that we can’t have rainbows and sunshine in our lives forever, we need to face
storms and rain for rainbows to be created. Finding solace in things we are intrigued by
helps us to face bad times. Taking out our old instruments and once again practising the
tunes we had learnt , starting a journal or blog on any topic we find the best, watching
all the movies and documentaries we had avoided earlier because of lack of time,
redecorating and rearranging our house, learning a foreign language or something as
easy as cooking are some activities that can brighten up a miserable mood.

Who says staying confined at home means degrading social life? We can stay connected
with people through messages, audio, and video calls because apps were built for not
feeling left out. In fact, this is the best time to catch up with people we have lost contact
with and unburdening ourselves of all regrets. Where everyone is concerned about our
economy, one must not forget, that it has also proved beneficial for people who have
taken their startups online and have increased the medical facilities of our country. It’s true
that many people have lost their jobs and it has affected the labor class to a great extent
but again our GDP has started strengthening again because of the festival season. This
is nothing else, but a ray of hope. Darkness is the absence of photons; similarly, distress
is the absence of faith.

Embrace the uncertainty because if anything is certain in life, it is uncertainty. Take this
pandemic as an opportunity to build strong relations with your family members, to
improve ourselves, and learning how to deal with bewilderment. This is the moment to
live the quote ‘only in darkness can you see the stars.’

By Mansi Shukla | XI-F

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