The COVID-19 pandemic is something new for our generation. Even if there have been
pandemics like this during our lifetimes, they have not exactly reached a scale like the Novel
Coronavirus has. The pandemic has mutated the way people used to think, and many norms of
modern society. We have seen new rules and regulations, the rise of different types of political
groups and movements, world-ending military stand-offs, democratic backsliding, branched
off diseases, and most importantly, a steep increase in physical and mental health issues. The
pandemic has given birth to new world order.
Personally, the concept of a nationwide lockdown sounded ridiculous. I knew it was necessary,
but the thought of staying within four walls, for weeks on end with barely any social interaction
was petrifying. In terms of mental health, it was indeed a confusing period for me. There was
constant fear: will we ever reach a sense of normalcy? All the emotional inadequacies in my
life came out of the shadows rapidly.
Online school, initially, was unacceptable, but the very instance I saw some advantages to it,
the fact that I could study at home in many comforts, wake up ten minutes before school, eat
anything I want, whenever I want, attracted me to the concept. However, the side effects started
showing up within a month.
Along with studies, homework was also shifted online. Deadlines were made a lot stricter than
before, with fixed submission dates. The amount of exposure to screens increased
exponentially. Then started binge-watching, and after a few weeks came the realization that I
was doing this only to fill the deep voids in me. The commencement of onsite schooling did
not help either. Claustrophobia kicked in within a few days. This made me realize that the
pandemic has changed how we think, and slowly it became very evident. Coughing and
sneezing are now taboo, suppressing them is more of a reflex now. Before the pandemic, we
used to stare at people wearing masks, and now we give a death stare to those who don’t. Online
communication is now treated as social interaction. All in all, the experience has degraded the
human species’ qualities as a social being.
But we cannot forget the opportunities given to us during this ongoing crisis: we got a chance
to be educated about the issues around the world, the fake sense of superiority within the world
powers, who were brought to their knees by a dead entity whose total mass is hardly a gram.
We were able to learn more about the existing humanitarian crises and we were able to help in
whatever ways we could. The world when brought to a standstill was given a chance to revive
its natural environment. I am grateful to have reached this point in time, something,
unfortunately, millions cannot relate to. The pandemic gave us an assessment and analysis of
the weaknesses in the current systems. We must take up this opportunity and root out the weeds
before the drought strikes again