Life in the Times of Corona

Hey everyone,

The world today is really undergoing some massive changes. It’s on a lock-down thanks to the Corona virus. And we’re all being asked to stay home and stay safe.

The whole country- actually the whole world- has come to a standstill. In India, public transport has been stopped, and all flights- both domestic and international- have been cancelled. Moreover, a curfew has been established. It’s a situation straight out of a book or movie.

The curfew, as I understand from my doctor parents, is to contain the illness more than anything. I’ll add a video below that explains why this is necessary.

While this video talks about America, the idea can be applied to almost all countries, including India.

Now that you know why the quarantine is needed, I’ll write my experience of it.

Technically, my lifestyle has not really changed due to the quarantine. I have been working from home for the past few months and so self-isolation has been my norm before it became the norm.

Therefore, while the world slows down, I have been trying to keep up with my work. However, the quarantine and curfew did have the effect of requiring me to be more self-sufficient.

Let me explain.

I live independently in a big city so I can say I’m pretty self-sufficient. But I still had the luxuries of having a cook and a maid to clean the flat I stay in.

Now, though, both have stopped coming and I am using the opportunity to do some very basic cooking for myself. I don’t do much, but for a beginner I think it’s good, even though I do say so myself.

I am also using the time to clean up, organize, and watch old shows and movies that I love. And with the world of OTT platforms available for this, it’s been a breeze.

Another thing I’ve been doing during this time is to deepen my meditation and improve my inner strength. Of course, yoga, meditation and mantra chanting are how I do this.

I cannot stress the importance of the latter. Mantra chanting may not appeal to everybody, but I do recommend meditation and yoga. They can really help keep you physically healthy and mentally sane.

Yoga along with breathing exercises improves your body’s immunity. Meditation, meanwhile, allows you to stop your mind from going into negative spirals of thought and entering panic mode. This is really important given the situation.

Mantra chanting is also a form of meditation, and the ancient Sanskrit mantras I chant are proven to have positive effects on the body, mind and spirit. But I’ll talk about that another time.

For now, we in India are on a full lock-down for the next 21 days, and I hope everyone follows it for above mentioned reasons.

As some body put it:

For the first time in history you can save humanity by sitting at home and doing nothing… Don’t fuck it up!!!

That’s it for now. Until next time folks!