Lockdown – A Blessing In Disguise

When we get over with all of this? How long is the lockdown going to be extended? I can imagine your uneasiness ‘cause I’m just as restless for the lockdown to get over and go to eat chocobar 😉 and accomplish the (now fanciful) project of trying out numerous less-known restaurants, markets and cafés. Only for all of it to goin in vain, temporarily of course.

But like all of the universe’s conspiracies, there is a positive side to this pandemic lockdown (though positive may not be the best word to use in covid-19’s context). I mean, sure we are all a little too much bored sitting in the house all day. But, hey, isn’t this what we asked for after an overloaded Monday. Right now, we’d do anything to get that very Monday back. Look at the paradox of life, how much we yearn for even a single day off, and now that we have plenty of it, we yearn for our offices and schools.

Source: https://memezila.com/Quarantine-be-like-day-meme-1750

Well, for now we have many things lined up that make up for us being locked up in our houses like Rapunzel (if this lockdown goes on for too long, the boys will be a tough competition for Rapunzel though).

1.A whole new sense of reality for Gen z

People are getting to time travel. Literally. I didn’t realise this instantly. Like I knew something was different but didn’t understand it quite till my mom drew my attention to it.

Not that I knew about it. I was rather enlightened about it. About the life around 30 years ago. The age where no one went outside on sundays and people saw movies and Ramayan and Mahabharat at home with family, talked to each other standing in their balconies (not on Whatsapp), and youngsters were more concerned with what comic they would read next rather than choosing a pub or a lounge for their next hangout with friends.

 If you are living a life, doing the mundane work of someone living in the 1980s, tell me what is it if not time travel. I may sound pretty antique but, believe me, I’m not that old-school, I just prefer people talking to my friends face-to-face instead of uploading insta stories for the same.

2.Chance to start or resume action

Remember the guitar you bought seeing your friend play, that is now making you guilty because it’s just collecting dust. Let me give a suggestion. Go and play it. And remember the book series you thought you’d start once you got the time for it? Go give it a read.

Go ahead and do that thing you’ve always wanted to. Look at the world we live in, everything just clicks away. So, there’s practically nothing that we can’t learn. Be a better person when this lockdown ends. Be someone you weren’t at the start of this. Be the chef you weren’t at the beginning of this. And let me know what you become. I became the blogger I wasn’t at the starting of this lockdown.

3.Time to learn life skills

By life skills, I don’t mean decision-making, creative thinking and problem-solving. Of course they are life skills. But I’m talking about a completely different, yet just as much important, if not more, set of skills. The skills you’ll require together at least once in your life.

 They are *drumrolls* sweeping, moping, washing clothes and doing the dishes. Not the most interesting things to learn surely, but they will help you a lot. This lockdown is one such case as well as an opportunity to learn these things. Countries other than India rarely have the facility of maids. And let me tell you in case you are misinformed, that there’s nothing wrong or undignified in this. Absolutely nothing.

 Sure thing it’s not easy or very fascinating but that’s the thing with important stuff. Even though I detest doing the dishes, I know that it’s important and since I ate in those dishes, I should be the one to clean them. You’ll be glad that you learned all of this.

4.Turn to go digital

The world’s taking their work online. Are you? This lockdown has pushed us towards a much needed change of including technology in our life. Willingly or unwillingly. But necessary anyways.

 People who are working from home have to use apps like zoom and skype to manage the required interaction with colleagues, and students are going on with the studies with help of google classroom.

 So if we are advancing anyways, why not utilise the change to its full advantage. Maybe you can get a website for your business if you don’t have one already, or increase your online presence by starting a blog, or earn a few extra bucks on top of your pocket money through affiliate marketing.

5.Excuse to take the break from life you have always been asking for

Look back on the day, before this lockdown,when you thought your boss couldn’t be more cruel and assign you the last minute project. And your best office buddy just did not understand that you were not ignoring him, but were just busy instead. Or maybe the day when your biology teacher told you that the last date to submit that 5 page essay was tomorrow and you had let out all the frustration of your pending work on your friend who was now extremely upset, all of which was making you tired and guilty. For sure you thought, “I could really need a break. I wish I could get one.”

Well, now’s your chance. Take that break now. Do that movie marathon you’ve been wanting to do for always. This is your chance. Grab it before it’s too late.

I just have two requests to all of you. Please, please help in your household work. You live there, so it’s your responsibility as much as anyone else to take care of that place and your family, for that matter. And, stay indoors. The more you’ll stay at home, the quicker the lockdown will  be over.

Glossary :

• Gen Z – (short for  generation Z) Generation Z is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years.
• Affiliate marketing – Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts.