Thursday, March 26, 2020

#MusingsOfMarch – A NEW BELIEF SYSTEM

The next era of humanity 
is going to be 
the best era of our lives. 

No time is good or bad. Time by itself is unpredictable. That being the fact, no great astrologer could have ever predicted COVID-19 as a threat to humanity. Had such predictions been in place, the World Health Organization wouldn’t have declared it as a pandemic. 

India is not untouched. The global apathy threatens to cripple us. Thus, we need to have a new belief system in place. We need to stay calm and respect the restrictions. These restrictions are not limiting us. These restrictions have been imposed to protect us. 
Starting from March 25, 2020 we will be experiencing a national lock down of 21 days. Trust me, it could get extended to. Therefore, we need to stay calm. We need to seek a new purpose to live and to help live our loved ones. 

It is understandable, the four walls of our home could leave us feeling suffocated. So do the four walls of our offices. But this is not the question of which four walls sustain us well. 
For ages, we have quoted – The home is where our heart is. 

My personal belief says, when the head of our country, the Prime Minister; the head of our state, the Chief Minister; the head of all other countries are asking us to stay home. There seriously couldn’t be a safer place than home, home and only home. 

So, if the times are difficult, don’t curse it. Time is as innocent as we feel we are. And only time will be able to tell us in the coming days, where are we going to stand as a nation, during the difficult phase of corona outbreak. And only time will be able to tell us, where will the entire world be after having fought bravely against the pandemic.

So, 21 days of being immobile. No, don’t take it in a wrong sense. Try telling yourself #21DaysOfChange. Or motivate yourself by saying #21DaysOfAcceptance. Just read the title of this post again, it says – A New Belief System. It is not that devastating. In the year 2011, a freaky accident had left me crippled and I had no choice. A lunatic biker knocked me down. I was left with a hairline fracture on the left foot. When the orthopedic surgeon told me that I will have to stay indoors for the next one month, tears rolled down my eyes. I was to stay home for a month. Initially it was tough. Being a creative person, I couldn’t digest it. But then I put a new belief system in place; I started a blog -  https://immobilehours.blogspot.com

Some of my colleagues from those days laughed; they said, as a patient I was wanting to seek sympathy. I didn’t pay attention to it. After one month, when I walked free, they came forward and said – You might have been immobile, but we witnessed your life unfold through your blog. Thus, seeking an inspiration from those immobile hours of 2011, after almost a decade, I am going to start something today. The first blog-post was supposed to go live on March 25 itself. But I am happy to remain prone to some of the most amazing moments, which make me feel loved. So, even if there is a delay, you will still get to see a new way of life unfold on the new blog – https://residentcreatorofalockedparadise.blogspot.com

On this blog, I am going to document my personal journey for the next 21 days of national lock down. I am in no mood to share anything that is negative. Instead I am going to write about things, which are doable, can be done and what I ended up doing during these 21 days. Also, this blog is not just going to remain limited to my writings during the lock down of 21 days to fight the contagion of COVID-19. This blog will have its updates, even on days when I choose to remain locked at home or could be at a place, and choose to lock myself and write something.

This blog is my way of putting a new belief system in place. Don’t lose hope. Be hopeful. The next era of humanity is going to be the best era of our lives. And before we step out again, let’s stay committed and make ourselves available through our hearts and spirit to #UniteToFightCorona

- Virtuous Vociferous | March 26 | March Blog-2 | What If | 2020

Monday, March 16, 2020

#MusingsOfMarch - IN VIEW OF THE WORLD


Take care, treat life well. 
Love yourself. 
Survive, sustain. 

After December 2019, I hadn’t written anything. All this while, I have saving the best words; I have been segregating the best photographs; I have been trying to overcome certain uncertainties. But when I settled down to think of things, I could only imagine a revolving globe. The revolving globe appeared hollow.

Someone had put it so rightly – Fear kills faster.

At this moment, fear is on a rampage. Even the smallest of infection can spell panic. Governments are making announcements to shut down businesses. But, what about the multiple levels of confidence, which had started collapsing due to the outbreak!

The outbreak has a name. The name has its own share of fame too. But the fame is not enjoyable. The fame is not of that nature, which is celebrated.

Depression is setting in; anxiety is pulling in; apprehension is barging in. Should we wear a mask? Should we stay indoors? Should we save our neighborhood? Should we save the world? Questions, questions and only questions.

As is known to many of us, it is a virus. Logically speaking it is invisible. The virus is spreading. And, spreading violently.

Masks are on. Masks are off. Masks are in. Masks are running out of supply. Masks are to be seen everywhere. Masks, masks; more and more masks.

Initially summers were about vacation and socializing. The summers of 2020 are gearing up for evacuation and social isolation. We are arguing; we are contemplating; we are caught in a state of belief and disbelief (both).

Doubts. We are doubting everything. From a sneeze caused due to dust allergies to cough caused due to the food caught in the food pipe. We are doubting everything. The machinery of fear is working closely with our worst of all dreadful experiences.

Words like quarantine, isolation and prevention are growing frequent as vital mentions in our conversations. But I hear no conversations. We hear no conversations. All we hear, we suppress, and we confess is dread, dread and dread.

It could be too easy to call it a modern example of biological warfare. But we aren’t talking war here; we are talking life here. A life that belongs to us and needs to be prevented. Generations can’t get written off. Journeys can’t be discontinued. Love stories can’t remain incomplete.

This threat, this insecurity is endangering our dreams too. We are often heard saying – It’s impossible, not possible. Have we succumbed already? Or we are waiting for the time to consume us in its run against possibilities!

In a situation so challenging, we are also making space for some dark humor. But I guess, humor isn’t a part of this hara-kiri. Reality of time standing stark. Reality of moment seeming dubious. Television is sending out negative signals at us. Social media is sending out mixed signals at us. The truth remains veiled beneath layers of discrepancy.

But this is a phase; a crucial phase to initiate safety measures and to pray for those who couldn’t get the chance to remain safe.

Therefore, by the next time, I write again…my eyes don’t have to be moist; they should be curious again. Take care, treat life well. Love yourself. Survive, sustain. Be there to share your tale of overcoming the odds.  
  
- Virtuous Vociferous | March 16 | March Blog-1 | What If | 2020