Let’s give living a chance

BENGALURU : Good morning, Bangalore

There is a perceptible hope in the air, or are my extra-sensitive genes coming out to play? I was pleasantly surprised at the rush of emotions and sense of oneness my column evoked in a lot of my readers. Some of my indulgent friends and family view me as a rebel, who hates stringent rules and confining attitudes. That is not true! I am certainly not a ‘rebel without a cause’. Rules, attitudes and blind obedience is dangerous in my parlance, unless it is logical and has an underlying good karma for all. Hailing from a family that has a varied and mixed gene pool, rituals had no place in our home.

Every God was great, morals and principles were first and foremost, and one’s word was stringently kept. I was encouraged to speak up for myself, lend a voice to the voiceless, and stand firm on what I believed in (but dialogue was encouraged). I was taught self-expression (it is a honed skill you know!) but ‘vomiting’ your views and bullying people into agreeing with you was firmly forbidden. See! I can deal with absolute words like ‘forbidden’ as long as the thought behind it is logical!

So… my ‘rebellious’ streak acknowledged the perceptible feeling of hope in the air. Since this pandemic was thrust upon us, many of us didn’t know how to react to the death, destruction and devastation it brought in its wake. I think as humans we coped pretty well. Initially it was mayhem, almost like something akin to being in nuclear bomb fallout. But slowly we started adapting.

Though many times I am disappointed in us as the human race in general, but I always marvel at our resilience and adaptability. We do manage to ‘overcome’ and show admirable selflessness and courage in the face of adversity. There are still a couple of us who are ignoramuses who are totally unconcerned about the safety or well-being of others.

A small thing like wearing a mask (which has now become ‘chin accessories’) has become an ego problem. Yesterday, I was shocked to see a brute cockily sitting on his scooter (you know that sideways position where his backside acts like an indicator), merrily spitting a trail of beetle-nut juice in his wake! No amount of honking or trying to overtake the offending rascal made a dent in his shameless armour. It was like, “I am free after six months. Catch me if you can’’! 

I think the government has opened up everything at our peril. I still think we must be cautious depending on one’s pre-morbidity and age. The virus is staying put at the moment and we must circumvent it. We all know ordinary soap and water destroy it and yet we are stupid enough not to wash often! Even an uncaring government cannot monitor us like children. It is a vicious circle, like we see all over the world. We are quarantined, the virus abates, we come out like freed prisoners, we re-infect ourselves, we go back into a lockdown and the circle of stupidity continues. Either the virus will destroy us or an economic collapse will. So why don’t we just play smart?

I played smart with my mind and intellect, which had started playing tricks inside my head. Isolation had started taking a toll on a gregarious person like me. Fear and anxiety was an everyday companion, and though I busied myself cleaning, cooking (now I can put any MasterChef to shame!) and intermittently working, sometimes the ennui was so omnipresent that it was almost physical. I am glad I did the needful. I dressed up, wore my designer mask and stepped out to have lunch with my friends. After which I met up with another for an impromptu coffee. Safety, security and serendipity go hand in hand.
Let’s give living a chance…