‘Where are we going, Pooh?’
Pooh replied, ‘Home Piglet. We’re going home because that’s the best thing to do right now.’
A. A. Milne’s wise old words seem truer than ever as they help us get through these murky times. After all, home is the safest place to be in now!
Our lives have fundamentally changed! One moment we were out there on the streets enjoying the luxuries of the modern world, and the next, we are placed in lockdowns. Our normal life came to a standstill in the wake of the COVID – 19 pandemic.
It is clear, the way things currently are our lifestyle will be vastly different than what it ever was.
Most small businesses have shut shops while some others have moved online and continue to function remotely. The travel and food industry has taken the hardest hit with travel suspended, hotels having no check-ins, and restaurants, bars and pubs indefinitely closed. In all totality, the economy is predicted to hit the hardest with critics speculating it might be the worst ever recession since the Global Depression of 1930. Nonetheless, there is still hope as the online industry is booming more than ever.
Globally classrooms have moved to online e-learning portals, people are flooding news sites to stay abreast of the happenings around, e-commerce stores for all necessities are functioning and trying to serve at their best capacities, entertainment websites for music, series, movies and more has seen an increase in viewership, and not to forget the dating sites, as well as, virtual gaming halls that are full to their brim. Besides these, there has also been an increase in the users browsing adult sites.
Amidst all these virtual options to keep us sane, things from our childhood seem to be making an appearance. The dust gathering the board games has lifted, long-forgotten hobbies are being pursued, and apart from working Netflix, Prime and other OTT platforms are the new streaming venues for cinematic delights, and we all are lending a hand in household chores. And not to forget people are getting married, celebrating birthdays and attending parties all within the comforts of our homes with Zoom, the new buzzword in town.
Truth be told, access to the internet and internet in itself feels like the biggest revolution ever! Can you imagine, how would we have survived if not for the internet? Well, to be honest, we would have survived just fine, remember the times before the internet. Our grandparents and parents survived just fine! However, in all seriousness, where does this leave us? The pandemic has quite literally altered the way we used to spend our time and live our lives. It has changed not only the political and economic scenario but also our social lives.
The majority of the world population having access to the internet has given rise to speculations of the concept of privacy. How secure are we? Are the corona-tracking apps breaching our privacy even though they provide us with security? How do we know if our online activities or even a simple act of crossing a street is not being constantly monitored? However, the biggest concern facing us is the post-corona world. Will the world post-corona be the same or will it change the very definition of how we view privacy? Such confusions and still are lives are so tangled with the web that it is simply impossible to cut-off totally. It is like imagining a utopia when it actually feels like a dystopian censored world we’re living in!
Even if the internet brings with it its own concerns it is by no means evil. It has at the end connected us and bridged the gap in making us all feel more global citizens than ever. And this global pandemic has truly changed us and the way we interact with the world. For although we’re socially distanced, we are still very much connected through messages, video and audio calls.
But change is inevitable and so tomorrow will be unlike today. The vaccine will be found, the virus will come to an end, the lockdowns will ease completely, and eventually, we will be out of our homes! Out of our homes getting sunkissed and basking in the fresh air. Our businesses will reopen, and our economies will start to build back. We will resume going to offices, schools and colleges. We’ll once again meet our friends and colleagues, and our in-person soirées will be back too! Life will be back to normal as we now know. Sounds pleasant, doesn’t it?
But the question begs to be asked, are we ready for the new tomorrow or have we already adjusted to the new normal?
Originally written on: June 22, 2020
Featured image: Google search
