For whom is it well?

Dear Reader,

The pandemic being what it is, I am reminded of the song that Chinua Achebe mentions in his seminal novel Things Fall Apart. This song, as mentioned in the Novel, is sung at the funeral of a woman in the Igbo culture. The song is like this; 

  "for whom is it well, for whom is it well?

   There is no one for whom this is well."

 

  The second wave of the pandemic has been, predictably, unsparing, more unpredictable with complicated infections, and more contagious than the first. Paradoxically, encased within the home, battling a perilous physical health issue, the external world is more unrealistic than ever. Just look at it--with lockdown, while working from home, the physical contact with the outside world is limited to the vegetable seller, fruit seller and when required, an occasional visit to the medical store. And that's about it. The rest of the world that the middle class was familiar with--be it the bank, the post office and other similar offices-- is now surreal. They are there, but so invisible as to be bordering the famed magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The much paeaned global space, at least for quite some time, is out of sight. This, despite the fact of webinars on the international platform. The plunge into uncertainty hits us all. 

     The neighbours, friends and relatives, even parent-children or husband-wife, become strangers if you so much sneeze thrice and cough twice loudly. The strange stage of survival of the fittest is turned on. 

    All of us are in survival mode, switching on varied survival strategies. For many of us, internet platforms are both creative and financial modes of survival. As I see it, two main aspects of life concern us --physical health and psychological well-being. Of course, intellectual, spiritual, creative, and financial aspects need to be nurtured. But right now, the top two slots are reserved for the body and the mind. 

  Amidst all this chaos and unreal existential/ experiential time frame, some aspects of life, as Julius Caesar once famously said, are 'constant as the northern star'. Some popular psychology and spiritual practices, based on a study of the human mind, help to maintain a healthy sense of perception. The most arduous task right now is to decide what we can hold on to? Is it the values and understanding before the pandemic? Or is it adapting the current survival essential strategies? 

      Either way, this is such a tough time that whatever we do, we are all changed inevitably. There is no denying this, and it has to be stated that this is the most traumatic experience that people across the globe are going through. Life will be entirely different. One doesn't have to be a prophet to say this; commonsense is enough to recognise these. 

   There are those people who already sense and see the changes happening--our value systems, patterns of existence, the meaning of professionalism, purpose and sense of fulfilment of education, our notions of achievement, our sense of attachment and responsibility with the members of our own family is re-written. A new, and so strange, sense of selfishness and safety emerges at the level of individuals. As we are already witnessing, new ways of philanthropy are emerging. People who have a little extra of something are willing to share; a sense of social responsibility is gaining its bearing once again just as the dark cloud of corruption continues to plague mankind in general. 

 All our previous experiences of fighting against autocracy, patriarchy and corruption have strengthened us to the extent that we are not slipping on the same road irretrievably. It is a new difficulty, a new challenge, a new trauma and a new solution. Hopefully, we will emerge out of it all equally strongly.   

       

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