Vaishali Chandorkar Chitale

Abstract Inspirational

4.4  

Vaishali Chandorkar Chitale

Abstract Inspirational

Stranger Than Fiction

Stranger Than Fiction

3 mins
162


Life can be so full of surprises and unexpected turns.Like John Lennon has famously said, 'Life is what happens to you when you're are busy making other plans!' 2020 dawned bright and cheerful. Bidding adieu to 2019 in a flurry of new year parties, the world had no inkling what awaited us around the corner.

Hurried new year resolutions made, with a wee bit of guilt for breaking the previous ones, we set forth fully determined to keep our promise and be different this year.

Well, different it certainly turned out to be! Three months into the year, we were lock downed in our houses felled by a tiny microscopic virus, holding us hostage in its lethal grip for our very survival.

Lock down certainly gave most of us a lot of time to sit back and reflect. This pinhead virus achieved to make the world stop in its track and make people re-think their priorities, which had somehow got lost in the maze of living.

This pause has given all of us the golden opportunity to  figure out what we considered essential for living. The wardrobe  full of expensive clothes, designer bags and high-end shoes now just stare us in the face; undermining our values of what we considered most essential for a good life. Lock down has helped us understand that we need nothing more than good health of our near and dear ones, basic essentials and  a good dose in humility.

The attitude of being a 'know all' and not being accepting of each other's foibles and imperfections have defined many of us till now. Racing at breakneck speed towards an imaginary finish, most of us have lost sight of little humane things that this lock down has made us sit and think about. We need to be generous in attitude, to be more giving, to empathize (a premium quality that) with one another and to see beyond our half baked egos in today's reality.

For me, the biggest takeaway in this compulsory break was to stay clear of the species(and believe me,they exist!) with a tunnel vision.The fact that someone can have an opinion contrary to theirs is not acceptable in their scheme of things.They are quick to brand you and will go to any length to get you onto the 'right' path.Dogmatic and stubborn, they are judgemental of others;actions and opinions.They are neither open to suggestions nor receptive of a different viewpoint. The fact that there are two sides to a coin never enters their limited thinking. In their scheme of things, the world is either black or white, with no shades of grey. Sitting on their high horse, it's either their way or the highway! "Live and let live'" is just not in their DNA.They will give you free advice under the guise of 'guidance'  Like frogs in the well, they cannot see beyond their horizon and no amount of travelling around the world can open the windows of their mind to let a different perspective in!

Opinions  are subjective, and others can have a different outlook about the same completely escapes them and is just not acceptable in their world!. "I know for a fact that once this pandemic ends, the world as we know it, will no longer exist! Acceptance will be the key in post covid world. Acceptance of fellow human beings, their imperfections and their diversities will be our guiding factor. 

In their haste to prove their worth, many of them pander to their egos and let it dictate the path of their life. Being judgmental and self-righteous comes easy to most ( sadly some families too fall prey to this peculiarity) and they are quick to pronounce uncalled for judgement.The  absolute lack of understanding and accepting other's point of view makes me wonder where they are coming from ! Living  in a  fool's paradise about their self-importance,makes them miss the trees for the wood.How difficult is it to see a viewpoint other than yours? Hasn't this shameless virus taught us that this very 'know all' attitude is now up for grabs? If the world  can realise that the journey to Mars can be so easily dislodged by a mere bat, what will it take for some to figure out that 'me, mine, myself' is as stale in today's reality as a fungus ridden bread? 

Nature is rebooting; we need to reboot too.If there is one takeaway from the pandemic it is this! We all have to wake up and see the writing on the wall.This unforeseen and unexpected lock down sure has been an eye opener.It has swept away in one stroke our illusion of greatness. It has taught us a lesson in humility. An all encompassing and a kinder eye towards all is the key! Age old prejudices and rudimentary thinking has to be shed like the snake shedding  it skin when it outlives it's utility . The need of the hour is to be humane, to develop our emotional quotient and to not shame one another by a false sense of self importance ! 

Lock down has made me to take a step back, to introspect and to strive for a better and evolved world for our future generations! I truly believe that pushing the envelope post covid , will bring us all on the same page for a better tomorrow. 


Rate this content
Log in

Similar english story from Abstract