In one of his videos, the well-known futurist, Joel Barker made a
statement – “When paradigms change, we all go back to zero. The past guarantees
nothing.” He backed up that statement with a variety of examples.
Today, our civilization, “advanced” as it is, is facing a
paradigm-changing threat in the form of a virus, and finds itself almost unable
to stop its spread. Even the best healthcare systems in the world are struggling to contain this invisible enemy, let alone eliminate it.
The upshot is that people, no – entire countries, are being put under
lockdown to prevent physical or social contact in a bid to stem the contagion.
Transport systems – all of them - have been shut down, disrupting the food
supply chain in parts. Well-intentioned government machinery may do all it can
to maintain the food supply, but it may not be sufficient over a long period.
We can only hope this does not lead to anarchy.
On the personal front, this is again a paradigm-altering state of affairs.
We have been so busy with our work, daily commutes, and the intrusion of work
matters into the family time through Whatsapp messages and email that we have
been functioning as automatons for quite a while now. We have no time for
family members – a guilt that we try to redeem through eating out, hurried vacations,
weekly or fortnightly parties with friends and even interactions through family
Whatsapp groups.
This lockdown has changed all that.
I am sure many people are finding it strange to be in the house 24x7
with their spouses and children or relatives and trying to address work items
at the same time. They also have more time on their hands because the daily
commute does not exist. I am also sure that many will lose their
means of livelihood, if they already haven’t.
If we keep aside the worry over food – this experience is surely going
to change a number of things for each individual affected by the lockdown. No
clubs, hotels, restaurants, beauty parlours, bars or tea-shops to go to, no gym
or swimming routine to adhere to, no classes for the kids, all put together, a
very new experience. And in some cases, no jobs to look forward to, after this
crisis blows over.
People in my age group will perhaps remember the two wars in 1965 and
1971 at least – the blackouts, glass windows covered with newspapers to prevent
light from seeping through, cars with headlights partly covered, hourly news
bulletins on the radio, the occasional siren wails and the worried look on the
parents’ faces. We were too young to understand what they did to ensure adequate
food in the house, but they apparently did a good job then.
Today there are many more entertainment sources available on finger
tips to everyone, compared to those times. But I am sure people will see these
as of much lesser value over the next few weeks, as the lockdown takes effect.
They say every cloud has a silver lining.
I am sure that we will be looking once again at the relationships that
we have around us and start working on those, to repair the cracks that our
erstwhile hectic lifestyle has made over a period of time. Some will be lucky,
some not as much.
Remember – “When paradigms change, we all go back to zero. The past guarantees
nothing”.
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