The positive side effects of the pandemic.

First things first, we weren’t prepared for an indefinite lockdown period. Our lifestyles changed in a day. The fear spread amongst us quicker than ever. However, the panic didn’t last long. We all learned to get through this pandemic, together.

While there were sad news, we certainly had some good and positive ones, too. Let’s talk about them.

Amongst all was Work From Home or as we say WFH. Companies of all scales were asked to make WFH a mandatory practise in order to function. This helped a lot of employees to find time for themselves, to realize work can happen without compromising on life. We learned to cook, dance, sing etc., while the deadlines were met seamlessly. A proper track of daily work came in place where everybody had a record of how much effort had been put in. Colleagues became family with increased daily interactions/online meetings. The calls went from ‘is it done?’ to ‘are you alright?’. People were stuck miles away, physically, but the increased concern for each other’s health brought them together in heart. Wouldn’t you all wish WFH was a permanent thing a few days or even a week after this pandemic is over?

Learning became a daily practise for many. We all wanted to learn new things in this growing world, but our daily hustle never let that happen. During the lockdown, some of the major e-learning sites made their services free for all and found a major hike in the number of subscribers. Knowledge is always good.

We are facing one of the biggest climate challenges these days. A week after lockdown, it was found that the air quality had become better, water bodies were cleaner, and pollution was lesser. We had finally allowed mother nature to breathe in her own terms, unknowingly.

The daily commute was a major time-consuming factor in everybody’s life. Surely we miss the honking, train announcement, morning rush, etc., but for the greater good, can that remain a cherishable memory? Let’s see.

Health departments have already raised concerns that the virus is here to stay. As we cannot wait for life to be normal once again, the choice is ours to choose the better normal — limited or extensive?