Empathy & Compassion: Did we really need a pandemic to teach us?

I remember it was sometime in January when my mom and me were discussing about the Corona Virus. Her friend’s son was in China and she was describing to me what they were going through. Little did we know how the entire world would be affected the way we are now. Late in February while gearing up on the BCP at work, we were getting more mindful of what might come, even then, we didn’t know what to expect and how the world would take a compete 360 degree turn. I remember my last day working form office 16^th March, preparing and enabling my team to work from home the next day onwards; EVEN then, honestly, we didn’t know how our lives would change.

But once the seriousness of the Pandemic dawned upon us all, we saw a lot of things happening around us and experienced many different emotions. The first couple of weeks people started enjoying working at home and saving on travel time. But at the same time everyone was looking at the rise in numbers on a daily basis. Boosting immunity and hygiene became a priority. Facebook feeds starting to fill up with pictures picking up long lost hobbies – right from painting to working out to music to cooking. Recipes started being shared – from Dalgona coffee to Eno & Bourbon cakes to elaborate 3 course meals. These being punctuated by PM addresses the appreciation by clapping for our essential service providers and paying respects by lighting candles and diyas.

All these events really took us through an emotional roller coaster. With complete lock down being introduced and scarcity of essentials, to being away from family and friends and uncertainty of what the future holds. But we are now adapting to what we call the new normal.

And amongst this all, a few changes that really stood out to me and got me thinking

• We started communicating more with our family and relatives. We reached out even those in our family who we would not have visited or called up regularly in normal times. Family Zoom calls, gathering everyone from all parts of the world became a weekend activity. Many family relations that were strained once again began to get normal.
• People started connecting more with their friends too. And just like we did with family, we even reached out to those we may not have talked to in years. Old school friends started communicating on WhatsApp groups or frequent video calls.
• We became stronger as a community. Our housing society groups suddenly became much more active. Inquiring about each other, how we are managing without the help and surroundings that we are used to, reaching out to our neighbors who were home quarantined due to a travel or returning home, discussing times that the shops stay open and what is available and what is not. From not knowing many of our neighbors, we started not just knowing, but reaching out to each other.
• Senior citizens who were living alone too were being looked after by the community. People started stopping by their homes to inquire if they need something and making sure that they had all that they needed and didn’t feel lonely.
• The community also started to support local merchants and farmers who were having a difficult time selling their produce.
• At work, people became much more sensitive to their colleagues. If someone dropped off a call due to bad network or was disturbed by a crying baby in the background, or a bell of the door, or a whistle of a pressure cooker, no one objected to these things. During the old normal, many of these would be thought of as unprofessional and careless
• Parents and teachers all being sensitive towards the children and what they are going through too. Not pressurizing them to try and lead the pack but giving them time and letting them move at their pace.

There is a sudden rise in compassion and empathy towards everyone around us. We are talking more about health- both physical and mental and trying our utmost to be there for those around us.

While this change is definitely for the best,

• Did we really need a Pandemic to move towards this change?
• Did we really need to be reminded to reach out to our loved ones?
• Did we really need a reminder to care for our neighbors?
• Did we really need a reminder to be compassionate to our co-workers and colleagues?
• Did we really need a reminder to awaken our sensitivity and compassion?

I sincerely hope that this change remains and we keep some of these positives that have emerged out of this Pandemic.

This post is a part of the Blog train – THE PANDEMIC THAT CHANGED OUR LIFE UPSIDE DOWN initiated by blogger Ila Varma  to bring the bloggers together to share numerous experiences of #pandemiclockdown2020.

Do check out Abhijits post Prisioner of a Pandemic Quarentine

Also look out for Sumits post and on https://instatravelstyle.com/, with a super quote : The World is a Book, and those who Do not Travel Read only a Page