The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID–19) compelled our government also to lockdown our country and this has put every citizen in a sort of home quarantine for over 60 days now. The confinement to our homes without any physical contact with the outside world was an unprecedented experience which nobody had anticipated. And it has certainly taught us many things which we never took time to ponder about. Yes, in one sense, it seemed to be a great loss and deprivation when none of us could go out and work or have meaningful contact with the outside world or pursue our dreams and aspirations in a normal way. But when we were forced to be confined to our homes without being able to do what we normally always do or want to do, it was a great opportunity to spend quality time with family and to reorient the real priorities and meanings of life. It was also a time to sit back and view our life and its meaning from a whole new perspective and angle. I guess this is why it was said in the scriptures, “Be still and know that I am God”. This would mean that in a way we cannot know God unless we become still sometimes and introspect and retrospect our lives and everything around us.
For me, the lockdown time was a season of rebooting myself. People who use computers know that we need to reboot our computers on a regular basis to keep it working efficiently and prolifically. If we don’t reboot our computers on a timely basis, the computer would become slow, inefficient and contaminated with viruses. No, the computer may not shut down permanently or refuse to work or become unusable. But it will stop operating at a level it was designed to be. To reboot our computers does not mean we will have to discard or delete everything installed and stored in the computer. It also does not mean that the computer will lose all its previous datas and ingredients and become a totally new and different computer. But rebooting means we are rejuvenating and reenergizing the same old computer with new fuel, new energy, higher speed and greater versatility. Rebooting also means removing or killing the viruses that had been preventing the computer from performing at its highest level. In other words, rebooting does not mean replacing the computer. But it means removing all that which had been infecting and poisoning the computer and preventing it from realizing its full potential and infusing it with a new vigor, passion, speed and an uncontaminated spirit.
I guess that was what happened to me during the last 60 day lockdown period. I am still the same old person that I was before the lockdown but now I have a new software inside me that will enable me to work and pursue my dreams and aspirations with a new passion and a rejuvenated vision from a different perspective. No, I have not discarded or abandoned any of the principles and virtues upon which I have lived my life thus far. But now I view these principles and virtues from a different perspective and realize how much fundamental and practical they are and how much I have benefited and gained from believing and practicing these values and virtues.
During the lockdown, I got ample opportunity to thoroughly look back and also reexamine some of my personal ideas and beliefs on matters like god, faith, religion, money, marriage, giving, family, children and attitudes. I didn’t find reason to believe that my ideas and beliefs on these matters had been wrong or inappropriate. I also did not foresee that I need some drastic or radical changes in my attitude in these matters. But I did realize that there are still many rooms for improvement and making some minor adjustments in some of these can lead to major improvements in many areas of my life. Yes some viruses have been removed and some new doses of vibrancy, vitality and versatility have been added as far as my attitudes, ideas and beliefs in these matters are concerned.
One important scriptural principle which I learnt is “it is possible to give away everything and still have abundance. And it is also possible to hold on to everything and still lose everything”. How true indeed! We have the tendency and inclination to think that if we give away our belongings or resources, we may not have enough for ourselves. Most also believe that we need to hold on to our possessions or certain things for ourselves first. I guess all these attitudes and beliefs come from a self-centered and egoistic mindset. And in the natural, our thinking and ideas may seem logical and valid. But most of our thinking and beliefs may be mere foolishness when we view them from the perspective of God.
Another important phrase upon which I deeply pondered during the lockdown was ‘minor adjustments can lead to major improvements’. In our lives, our relationship with others is extremely important as it plays a vital role in determining our happiness and satisfaction. We may have all the money in the world, we may occupy very important and influential positions in our careers, we may have health and have great opportunities in front of us. But if we don’t have good relationships with the people whom God has placed in our lives like our spouses, children, family and others with whom we encounter and interact on a daily basis, we know that we will not be happy. And many a times it is found that to improve or restore a relationship, we don’t need some drastic or radical changes in our behaviors. Just some seemingly insignificant minor adjustments can lead to major improvements.
In the art of flying an airplane, there are two important terminologies – ‘nose-up’ and nose-dive’. In the case of ‘nose-up’, the airplane has to tilt its nose a little up. The tilting may not be of a great degree, it may be just a mere 5 or 6 degrees. But since the plane is flying constantly, in due course of time, even that minor tilting will enable the plane to reach an altitude of gigantic proportion. Likewise, a simple minor ‘nose-dive’ can also lead the plane to a radical descend over a short period of time because the plane is in a constant state of movement at great speed. This is what we mean by ‘minor adjustments leading to major improvements’. The right minor adjustments which we make in our relationships may seem insignificant and even irrelevant at times. But it can lead to major improvements and a big difference in due course of time.
The older we grow the more we realize that we are not going to be here all the time. Our time here on earth is too short and too limited. This was another vivid reality which dawned on my mind during the lockdown season. And so, if our time here is limited, one thing I realize is that I should not spend my time and energy on idle matters but rather use them to make a difference in my own life and in the lives of others. Why should I waste my time and energy thinking about what others are thinking or saying about me? Why should I waste my time trying to pay back someone for something they had done to me in the far or recent past? Why should we waste our time and energy trying to correct and straighten out everybody? Why should we waste our time and energy interfering in other people’s business instead of running our own race? I have a race to run and a destiny to fulfill and I would invest my time and energy in pursuing my own dreams and aspirations and fulfilling my destiny which will make a difference in my own life and in the lives of my near and dear ones as well. Many of the things upon which we spend our precious time and energy are simply distractions and illusions which do not even matter in the big picture and which will not even matter in the end. And so if I am to waste my time and energy on these distractions and illusions, I will never have the time and energy I need to invest for the things which really matter and which are intrinsically linked to my well-being, my future and destiny here and beyond.
I will still be the same old person post lockdown also. But I have a new software inside me because I have rebooted myself with these realizations and attitudes and I know it is going to make a big difference as far as my life is concerned..…..
