Rediscovering strength through the pandemic

We had all thought that we wouldn’t experience something like that again. At least on the scale as it first happened. And yet it’s here again, three times as bad as the last time. Somehow, this time it has hit us all much closer than it did last time. Recovery seemed imminent last time and is in the offing this time as well - but it doesn’t feel like that for most of the people, as we keep hearing.

I spent some time thinking about why that was. Why is it that this time the pandemic feels like it’s much worse than the first time when, at least in theory, we knew all the risks, and we were prepared for it, and knew how long it will take for the humdrum of the daily cases to dial back down to a manageable level.

Is it because we thought it was over and it’s suddenly come back?

That’s a definite possibility. After all, we had just barely let our guards down and were just taking a breather when this happened. But then another thought struck me.

Or maybe because this time, we’re failing as a team, whereas earlier we were failing as individuals. Maybe we must have been more prepared as a team this time, politically, practically and socially.

As the first lockdown started, we experienced an immediate threat to our existence at a very primal level. There was no clarity about the virus. Does it spread through surfaces or through contact? And surely there was no chance of it being airborne? 

While we considered all of these factors, it was no longer possible to continue to do the things we loved, to talk to the people who made our days brighter, and to feel good after accomplishing something that we thought wasn’t possible.

More often than not, the scope for all of this had disappeared.

So we learnt how to live around it. Compromising the self for the community, we learnt to create substitute tasks that would make our lives easier. 

Can’t commute to the office? Zoom calls for check-ins so everyone is on the same page.

Can’t meet your friend in another part of the city? Connect online and show each other what you’re eating - so that it still feels like the old times! 

And we learnt to live life with the goal of the community in mind. After all, protecting ourselves was important - but it was even more important to make sure that nobody else gets affected at your expense.

This is why this Covid wave feels particularly threatening. It reminds us that it is possible to fail, even when we have all the data about the virus.

And, worse, it reminds us that the virus can mutate! So we not only have to be on top of what we already know - but also learn more information as it becomes available. Like an open book exam where more and more books are falling on your lap every second.

Far beyond anything, this is a test not just of our mental strength, but also the strength of our communities.

Each of us has discovered what brings out the worst in us and in the ones closest to us. As we all navigate yet another wave, we are of necessity discovering strength through the pandemic, yet again. First, we did it through ourselves. And this time we must do it through our communities.