The coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought a drastic change to the system and how it was being governed. The sudden halt to all business, trade and economic activities has caused disruptions that were unheard of, at least in our lifetime. While many are comparing the current economic downfall with the Great Depression of the 1930s, this is by far the worst period we could live in during the modern era. The virus has isolated us to our homes while businesses are forced to restructure their operational models.
The idea of work from home did prevail during the pre-COVID-19 period. A person was considered lame and lazy if he was working from home. Today, companies are following the same work from home philosophy across the world. Students and teachers are interacting via online video calls while official meetings are held in the same way. The system that we were living in is still in existence, however, its dynamics have changed. A number of insights have emerged ever since we went into self-isolation and in lockdown ever since the pandemic began transcending borders.
The biggest powers of the world are in fact always at their most vulnerable. The US and Europe with their state-of-the-art systems failed when the pandemic began claiming lives in hundreds. Their system did sustain for the time being but they were unable to provide healthcare for all. This virus, a microscopic being, proved to be more powerful than any of the weapons humans created. It shows the powerlessness of humans. We cannot beat nature. What resulted following the lockdown was a sight we thought would never happen. Earth began healing. Pollution levels began reducing, animal and plant life flourished and the environment became cleaner. This shows that humans were, in fact, plaguing the environment.
A psychological and emotional change that came during the lockdown pertains to our material possessions. We are now least interested to talk about or show off the possessions we have including our car, cell phone, wristwatch, wardrobe and so on. Since we are in lockdown, our interaction with the outside world is almost zero. People talk about their feelings and emotions when they appear LIVE on social media platforms. Official meetings also discuss the agenda. Even if we leave the house, our goal is to reach our destination and return home in the least amount of time with minimum human interaction.
Talking about going out, our patterns of eating out have also changed. It was perhaps an infatuation to order food or to visit a restaurant. Similarly, taking pictures of our food and the places we visited was to satisfy our ego. We do not post pictures of home-cooked food with such enthusiasm. While talking about office life in the age of COVID-19, we have seen a change in how we work. Late sittings at the office were perhaps a frame of mind. We complete the same tasks from home with flexible hours. Perhaps the managers at offices also had to boast their ego to have a feeling of belongingness. Now their authority is limited to video calls only.
Speaking about priorities, people are not being influenced by advertisements. They are mostly buying items they need. This means that the capitalist mindset created and added fuel to consumerism. Today, we only shop what we require and we refrain from buying items that ‘we could use later’. We do not know what tomorrow holds for us. The COVID-19 has made us realize that death could be a few meters away from us.
The emergence and spreading of COVID-19 also changed, modified and altered our image and perception about ourselves and the world. Students and professionals do not see themselves in this role anymore. Their hope and success, aspirations and dreams have taken a back seat. They just need to complete their tasks, spend time with their family, live in isolation and survive each day.