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Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Viswamitra, Mar 31, 2020.

  1. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Those who longed to spend some time with the family are left with no choice but to spend all their time with the family. Adults and children are online at home, but the good part is they are productive and not wasting their screen time surfing the internet. The weekdays feel like weekends and weekends feel like bonus days. With so-called social distancing, venturing out is not an option and hence we could communicate with our relatives, friends, and neighbors only through phone. Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and USPS are delivering more packages now than ever before. Retailers and Pharmacies are selling more groceries, cleaning materials and medicines. Airlines, Cruise lines, Hotels and Restaurants are hurting. The US government is pumping in $2 Trillion into the economy to help businesses.

    What could we do over the weekend which appears to be a bonus day with no interaction with anyone outside? When the door is closed to go outside, it is a great time to go inside and learn more about ourselves. We are all bombarded with more and more news about the pandemic through televisions, newspapers, magazines and social media. One of the videos cautioned me that the fear of pandemic is worse than the pandemic itself. How do I keep my mind occupied without the mind racing towards the worst-case scenario? How do I apply my mind to go inside when my mind is inclined to go outside?

    When I practice removing the virus from my hands, by washing my hands with soap several times a day, I also visualize removing my desires and associated attractions from my mind by reciting Slokas several times a day. Whenever I cough and use tissue paper to avoid droplets falling on others or on the surface, I also practice silence as much as possible and when I need to talk, and I think carefully before uttering a word. I am realizing how many times I touch my face every day because I need to walk up to the nearest tap to wash my hands before I need to touch my face. I use that time to think about how to control my mind triggered by my senses and how much I am longing to go out and serve the people in need.

    I keep cleaning every surface frequently used often with a cleaning solution so many times a day, when I do that, I am conscious about how much dirt is inside my mind and think about solutions to wipe those thoughts clean. Whenever I keep 6 feet distance from everyone when I go to buy groceries and medicines, I think of the 6 feet space that everyone lies all alone at the end of all excitements called life. I also think of distancing myself from a bad company when I am still alive.

    Life is no longer consist of big ambitions at this point and every day spent in isolation without contracting the virus itself is a big accomplishment in my mind. Sometimes, the fear controls everything I think and do and other times, a philosophy that I live this life only once and why should I spend time worrying about something I don’t have any control over takes over. When I read the caution that if I show any symptoms like fever, dry cough or cold, I should contact my physician, it occurs to me that when I am overwhelmed with doubt, fear or anger, I need to go inside and find out the root cause of that problem and consult someone who can help me remove that doubt, fear or anger.

    Nature has pressed the pause button forcing us to stay inside our homes. As much as I keep wondering about the rationale behind nature’s action, several things come to my mind. When so many human beings suffer from temperature, I think of how humans warm up this planet through emissions. When many human beings are having respiratory trouble looking for ventilators, I take it as an instruction from nature to keep our atmosphere clean. Nature is instructing us to improve our collective consciousness to appreciate everything that is provided to us and reciprocate love.
     
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  2. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Excellent piece of writing Viswa! Simply fine!
    whatever burdens are thrown on God, He bears them.Since the supremacy of God makes all things move,why should we,without submitting ourselves to it,constantly worry ourselves with thoughts as to what should be done and how,and what should not be done and how not ?We know the train carries all loads.After getting into the train, why should we carry our small luggage on our heads to our great discomfort,in stead of putting it down in the train and feeling at ease?
    jayasala42
     
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  3. sln

    sln Platinum IL'ite

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    Dear Viswa,
    A philosophical and vivid portrayal of life and what goes through our minds.One thing I am sure is that life will never be the same again for human beings.I witness lot of unspoken but subtle changes in every one,The way in which we have rushed to help the hapless shows that basically human beings have an inner soft core beneath the selfish avaricious exterior.
    Kannadasan wrote-
    Nadandhal rendu adi
    irundhal nangadi
    paduthal aaradi podhum
    Indha nilamum vanamum ellorkum sondham
    Perhaps this is why they have specified social distancing of six feet.
    Regards.SLN
     
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  4. shravs3

    shravs3 IL Hall of Fame

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    Very thought provoking writeup sir.
    This is so true.
    Should we all feel thankful for staying extended periods at home? Or should we feel sad that we are not able to go out and meet everyone?

    In this hour of need best thing is to find out all the positives of staying home instead of feeling stressed.

    Working on things which we wanted to do long back.

    Avoid seeing too much of news.
    From few days I stopped seeing news, now I feel my stress levels have reduced.
     
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  5. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Smt. Jayasala:

    I am hoping you and Mr.Jayaraman are remaining healthy and safe and you are getting the necessary help to handle a few things at home. Even though Florida doesn't have stay-at-home order, it feels like one, as the roads are empty and the neighbors have bolted themselves into their respective homes. Despite many states implementing stricter guidelines, Florida in the 5th position in the number of cases is yet to implement stricter guidelines for citizens to follow. We are not moving out of the house unless to buy groceries or medicines that too we plan our trips at a time when there is not much crowd. Thank God, many retailers have given a specific time for senior citizens to shop.

    Your analogy of train carrying both the passenger and their luggage is excellent. This is the time to have the serenity to accept what we don't control and surrender to the divine will. Delving on what would be the outcome of this pandemic is something that is beyond the human mind and even scientists are struggling to project a model. Let us live with the best practices recommended by scientists and hope for the best. Fear is not going to help us and anything that would calm our mind is what we need to seek at this point.

    Viswa
     
  6. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear SLN Sir,

    It looks like it. But if it happens once in a century in this proportion, it means we need to change course the way do things on this planet. Awareness of everything we are enjoying can be taken away in a heartbeat is a good reminder for us to appreciate everything we face day-to-day. The human core has to be filled with love as we all came from the same source that created all of us. What a delightful song of Kannadasan you have quoted in response to this thread. The following songs came to my mind:



     
  7. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    @shravs3,

    Thank you for your response. This is time to appreciate everything we have in life with gratitude and relish the opportunity to spend time with our loved ones. These are times when the mind enters into the territory of acceptance and delves into reality. We can discover ourselves and our relationships and reach new heights through this exercise. We need to remove the fear and enjoy the time that God has gifted to us. We can explore new things and develop new skills. The news only increases our anxiety and stress and instead, we are better of spending time with the family.
     
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