The Big Picture

As I am writing this blog - more than 3.2 million cases of COVID-19 has been reported the world over, more than 228 thousand deaths, and a little more than 1 million recovered from the COVID-19. In India the new case reported in 24hrs curve is yet to flatten.

Governments all over the world are enforcing public lockdowns to contain the spread of SARS CoV-2. In many countries people are already under the lockdown for more than a month.

The future looks bad atleast for the next 2-3 months, some financial pundits are even predicting that it will take more than 6 months for the economy to come to normal. Those tiny little invisible monsters named SARS CoV-2 are infiltrating all over the world. All the global population is experiencing the brunt of this disease. I myself am locked in my house for more than a month because of the lockdown.

But hey haven't you experience such disruptions before in your life?

I mean not just like pandemic but there are always some seemingly insurmountable problems coming our way. Think about it for a while. If I tell you mine, I have been lost in jungle without food or water or direction with friends a couple of times; I have had very high fever (103F) in the night, I didn't woke up my parents as I thought they will cause more trouble, I was feeling dizzy and trying the control the temperature by putting cold water bottle under my shirt, it looked like the night was never ending; during college suddenly I have to present a paper in an auditorium full of 300 people; joined a commando training workshop and came to know that each session was like hell, the couches there never hesitated beating or punishing us if we failed or not did the task/exercise as per instructions; the first time I met the girl I like; the first time I left my house for studies; my pet falling ill, coming home badly wounded; illness followed by death - of my beloved grandfather; death of my beloved pets; death of a good friend; break up from gf; financial losses in stock markets; cheated by trusted friend; financial scam; road accident; went after a business plan leaving everything behind and the investor at the last minute ditched me and started his own business with my plan leaving me high and dry; there are many such incidences where I felt like it's all over. I bet you must have gone through such experiences where it felt like it's over, I'm done, I quit etc.

But what do you think about it now?

What you will do about it if it happens again?

In my case I think these were the trivial things, though at that time such incidences seemed like great loss, I now know that they were great life lessons, they gave me confidence, gave me chance to do better, they helped me reach where I am today, they helped me meet people which I am with today, they made me what I am today. It taught me that everything has an end.

All these problems help us grow emotionally, hence the past problems looks trivial. We even forget many such blips in our life.

Coming back to COVID-19, as I said, this will also end. It is not like it will go on till everyone dies. Only 3-4% of the infected people (mostly who are already suffering with other illnesses) die, rest all recover from the disease. And guess what, the recovered people don't transmit the disease or develop the disease again because their immune system now knows the enemy and how to defeat it. Such recovered people will add to the herd immunity of the society and will slow the spread of the disease.

In some countries the total death rate is actually reduced because people are not dying in road accidents or riots or robberies etc. because of the lockdown. Many companies have developed ways for their employees to work from home (WFH) which would not have been done if there was no COVID-19. Companies are finding the WFH culture more cost effective, so they are going to keep it. It will also save a lot of fuel costs, pollution and office space. It is hard to get junk food, cigarettes, hard liquor etc. during lockdown so we like it or not but our body will like it.

 3-4 years in future we all will be busy with our lives and only occasionally we will recall the COVID-19, may be to tell the tales of our survival through the pandemic to our children or grandchildren.

But till now, make the best use of it, like use the free time to learn the things you always wanted, read, write, do whatever gives you happiness (without causing anyone trouble). Invest the money if the market is down in a diversified way in good companies. That will also add to your repertoire of good COVID-19 tales.

So the Big Picture doesn't sound that doom and gloom. It is just a temporary blip in the history of the mankind. I am an eternal optimist, so I see a lot of progress of the mankind in the future. As the years are passing, the rate of progress is increasing. Make good use of current opportunity at your hand.

Take care and have a nice day.

Sumit,

The POWER is when,
You use ODDS,
To get EVEN.