Do not be overwhelmed by change. It has to an incremental movement from the status quo or the stagnation you have been into. If you see it is not adding any worth to the efforts, reconsider your approach and if found rational, do not hesitate to correct the path. Right efforts in the right direction get you rewarding returns in life. That is what a lockdown learner should do.
The virus is still there around us and the lockdown might have been renamed as UNLOCK, we know it pretty well that the lock remains there on our freedom to move far. This cage has also got into the mind and people have started feeling 'attacked' by the procrastination and stress viruses. It is a new age in the ultra-modern era. This segment in our 21st-century calendars is going to be remembered for ages. There has been a new addition to our vocabulary this year. COVID 19 shall be there in the lives for decades now. Of course, this is not the first virus the planet is facing but it has become the most fatal. It is not just the growing deaths but the blockages it has caused are the most awkward for a world which had no slowdown in view. Things have been moving with the speed of light in the 21st century. Technology has transformed our ways of living, thinking and dreaming. We were in this ultra-fast wagon and suddenly it stopped. The whole world went to a stand-still.
Now we know how things are closed and there are no questions to ask as to when will this be open to crawl for speed. Even if we try to ask, replies do not seem to exist. The only thing that has happened good in this bad time is the availability of time to a large segment of the world. We feel that the reader of this blog post falls in the group we are talking about. We had resources and a regimen to follow. We had people and things to talk about. We also had the option to work from home. Unfortunately, the same social security or a financial backup has not been there for millions. Sadly, we are not able to help or see them being helped even. We are learning new ways of the world. It’s a new look, a new avatar that we see. Someone said that this global downfall has actually shown us the social downfall. We are disturbed and equally perplexed. The way out is there in the form of selfishness. Not the one that hurts others, but 'selfishness' - a distinct type in this COVID era. The demand is to take care of yourself now. The new normal is to see that you are of utmost importance and everything else starts after you. If you are feeling at peace and in perfect health, you have better chances to help and protect others. Tough times do not last but tough people do! We need the same for some more time, for a few more months now. This Lockdown is there to make you a Learner.
The time you shall be spending on yourself shall be rewarding in terms of the returns you will get in future. We are not going to regret if we ensure that we learn, relearn and unlearn something in this period. Let me enlist some of the things you can do to make it worth for you:
- Reading - No other thing can come first!
- Online Reputation Management - Keeping your Social and Professional Media Sensible
- Network-Network-Network for Better Careers and Learning
- Do and Offer MOOCs
- Write Blogs
- Listen and Start Podcast
- Watch Good Movies
- Talk to Friends(even the forgotten ones!)
- Join Online Internships (Voluntary Assignments to enrich learning)
- Meditate and WALK for Health
The Lockdown Learner
The hallmark of a learner is nothing other than the pursuit of Learning in every situation. As the choice to convert the lockdown to a mere slowdown is with us, we can develop a new being in us. Post-COVID, you shall meet the future self that you are going to work for. Please do not feel that we are suggesting you anything to ignore present and look for the future. Can you see the sky without having feet on the ground? No, certainly not. That is why the Learner we are invoking in you is based on the present landscape. There are fear and recurring apprehensions in mind. Some are said; some are still unspoken.
But the Lockdown is making us learn. Each of us is learning and evolving into a better human. Unconsciously and unintentionally, we are learning to take care of our own selves. We are also concerned about the extended self - our relations. We also feel for the poor, who are not the commonly seen beggars, who used to be ignored. Rather, the troubled residents of various parts of the nation are like us. We want to support them and have tried to break peace by assuring the self that once things get safer, we will do the good. Till then, it is time to distribute charity at home. Make this Charity a ritual without burden.
