There have been a few things that have been going on lately. The Coronavirus has been spreading like a wildfire. Just 5 days ago, the global cases were around 199K. Today, the infected numbers are around 339K. That’s almost double the numbers in 5 days.

In just weeks, the Coronavirus pandemic has shaved off nearly a third of the global market cap. SMBs and small manufacturing units are suffering huge losses due to shut plants and still having to pay their employees. Students are at home with an extended summer vacation. Students who are just about to graduate will enter uncertain and recession-like times. People who are living in slum areas and villages are at most risk due to inadequate hygiene measures. So, are the elderly who are living alone and vulnerable with their kids abroad or in some other cities. I really feel this because my parents live in Mumbai, about 3 hours drive from where we live.

Yesterday, in India, we had the “junta-curfew” imposed by prime minister Narendra Modi. When I woke up at my home in Pune, the city felt like a vacation home. There was pin-drop silence, and all the streets and highways were literally deserted. We could, in fact, hear a number of different birds chirping around, just like in the wilderness. At 5 PM, we all came out to our balconies and windows and expressed our gratitude to numerous healthcare workers, agencies, bankers, essential supply chain management, grocery store staff, and policemen and women who are relentlessly working in volatile and uncertain environments to ensure our safety and well-being.

As we have begun following the “Safer at Home” guidelines, I want to share with you what I feel about this situation, some of my reflections.

• For once in our lives, we are all in this together, irrespective of our culture, religion, financial wealth or social status. The virus does not discriminate. The virus treats us as equals. Why can’t we?
• We are all human beings, but are we really being human? Is this Nature’s way of serving us a wake-up call?
• We are social creatures. We crave for a tribe, for a community, for acceptance. This self-quarantine risks in increased feelings of being isolated. Use this opportunity to connect with family and friends with the help of technology. Perhaps, a friend whom you haven’t spoken to in years. Or maybe a family member with whom you have cut all ties.
• On our tiny planet, we have created maps, territories, and boundaries. We need visas and passports to traverse them. The virus does not. Is this a reminder that our rules and systems are not approved by the universe?
• We have to co-exist alongside the other flora and fauna. If we become selfish and start hoarding, Nature will find a way to reclaim its space.
• We are not immortal. At least our egos feel that we are. We need to keep our egos in check.
• Life is short. What’s the point of securing your future, if you die in the present?
• We are all part of a cosmic creation. Everything has a place in the universe. We need to move up from the lower rungs of fear, panic, selfishness, and anxiety to the higher rungs of gratitude, compassion, cooperation, contribution, generosity, and love. This is our purpose. The more we wander away from our purpose, Nature drops the bomb on us.
• We have started ignoring our bodies more than ever. We are filling it up with all kinds of toxins. Remember, our bodies are literally our last line of defense. Is this Nature’s way of telling us to go back to foods that Nature prepared for us?
• We have become so materialistic, yet in these times none of it is going to help us. We need to fall back on our basics – food, water, air.
• As a species, we have done more harm than good to ourselves, to each other and to our planet. Is this an ultimatum to live in harmony and as consciously as possible?
• Within every challenge lies an opportunity to grow and be better. I hope this challenge will serve us to carefully meditate on the steps to follow once this is over. Will we grow wiser through this situation?
• This too shall pass. Life’s cyclical. Every winter is followed by a summer. Every night ends in a day. Every death ends in a life.

I really don’t know if this is the end, or this is a new beginning. Remember Humans experiment, Nature does not! Our Earth deserves better.. Nature is making a strong statement!

To The Warrior Within,