Though the year 2020 has not turned out to be the one we would want to love and celebrate, still, some satisfactory things did happen. There are silver linings seen in the list of the positive impact, however, it is not that exhaustive. To be honest, we never realised initially that the pandemic plague would stick to mankind this fast. But it did and we faced challenges. However, there some good things – we learnt in 2020: be it a change our life-style, change in environment or our perception towards the society.
There was a national lockdown, imposition of curfew, no social gatherings, shut down of the business, lakhs of jobless employees. Being stuck far away from home, migrant jobless workers walked thousands of miles with all their belongings in anxiety to reach their home. Some died on their way and a few walked with struggle visible on their faces. People got entrapped with the corona virus; affected families struggled to heal with post-covid illness. The pandemic that stayed and swept the world.
But in a herald to protect ourselves from COVID-19; the pandemic gave us few happy movements together with many obstacles. We learned a few lessons and certain disciplines, experienced environmental change, and much more. Something, that we would be able to tell our younger generation. Clean air, more visibility, animals reclaiming their space in the absence of noisy vehicles, enjoying the weather, bird watching; the list can go on and on…
Here, we are going to discuss some of the good things – we learnt in 2020; the positive impact the year had on all of us-omitting the blockages.
Learnt to Appreciate
One of the most essential and good thing – we learnt in 2020 was to value people. We learned to appreciate the selfless dedication of all the doctors, nurses, health workers who risked their lives to save ours; the policemen, traffic police who managed to stand the in hot summer to compel people to wear masks to save our lives; the ambulance drivers who worked day and night to help the patients reach hospitals; not to forget the grocery stockers, farm workers, the vegetable vendors too; all those who put their lives in danger to keep our lives safe. We designated them as corona warriors…No doubt; they deserve a salute from all of us.
Learnt to Strengthen Relationships
We felt isolated and frustrated being at home. To maintain social distancing norms, our life became bit dormant. But we found meaning in connecting with family-young or adults. Another good thing – we learnt in 2020 was to interact with friends, colleagues, relatives spread at different corners of the globe through video calls or meetings. With the restriction on social gatherings, there were no wedding celebrations or friends’ meet up. But with the advancement in the telecom and internet services-virtual meetings and remote work became regular, we felt no poles apart.
Online Education and Gaming
The children felt being caged at home during the pandemic. But with technological advancement, there seemed a sigh of relief to parents during the lockdown. The schools began online education classes slowly with a bit of assignments and examinations. There were pre-recorded videos with multiple animations given by teachers to make students understand the concepts at times. However, with such troubles on boards; schools have managed to keep up with the curriculum.
Similarly, there were ample online games that led children get glued on their chairs after the study hours. Those fun family games included Ludo, Snacks & Ladders, Carom Games, Hold Ball, and many more. These games appeared to be a stress buster not only to kids but adults as well, who could connect and play with their friends and family online at any time. Khatriji Gaming is one such online platform with board game options. These games diverted everyone’s mind despite tension related to COVID-19.
Both these activities can be considered as the good things of 2020, our mind continuously remained active which in turn detracted us from the pandemic fear.
Clean Air
With complete lockdown around, the air pollution began dropping. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions declined with the restriction on transportation. NASA said that the world had the lowest level of air pollution now since July 2018. The result was cleaner air and better visibility.
Animal Reclaiming Their Territory
Does anyone remember the wild animals roaming across the streets during the lockdown? Well, we have seen that in the news. There were many such incidents when the animals came out from their hidden spots in absence of human activity as the area seemed silent to them. Nilgai (Asian antelope) outside a Noida mall, elephant strolling on the empty streets of Kerala, deer on the roads of Tirupati, some endangered species at Kozhikode, or the turtles nesting at Odisha’s Gahirmatha Beach.
Bond With the Environment
With the decrease in air pollution, we could feel nature. Something, that we always missed; due to our daily hush and bush life. But this forcefully given mini-vacation did make us live with nature. The lockdown connected us with the environment. We could listen to the early morning sound of chirping birds, the wind that gushed, see the sand that blew with high wind during summer, and much more. We realised things that were never sensed nor could have ever been aware of.
Relate with Ourselves
Did we ever get time to sit back and listen to ourselves? No… Thanks to the year 2020, we could do so. We had the chance to rejuvenate ourselves; do workouts or yoga or meditate, realise the hidden potential within us, pursue our hobbies, look after ourselves while spending time with family. Many of us became cooks, homemakers, artists, creators, and whatnot while struggling to protect ourselves from the disease. We relaxed, enjoyed, played, watched movies, and performed many activities beyond the ones mentioned here during the short vacation that we never had after school days.
Covid-Free Places
While the world was battling to live with corona virus, some places got free with COVID-19, giving us hope. New Zealand reported zero coronavirus cases between May 23 to June 15 and is yet reporting the coronavirus cases in single digits. Tanzania has not reported any case since May 9. Vatican City with one more zero since October 18. As per The Diplomat, While some countries in Central Asia like Tuvalu and Turkmenistan have not reported any case since the time pandemic has begun. Other countries to join the bandwagon; are Tonga, Samoa, Palau, North Korea, Niue, and Kiribati.
The year 2020 will be remembered as the one that brought us all together despite the ‘do-gaj doori’. Most of us missed our hanging spots with pals and families, many people shared their old stories with friends on social media. The year changed all of us. It also made us realise that mental illness issues exist and it is important to be attendant when they call or reach out to them when in need. Let them know ‘we are there’.
Certain things must have been missed in this blog. Though many of us must have included them in our “stay home, stay safe treat” …
To sum up, there can be n-number of bad and good things that happened in 2020. Some influenced while others had tremendous effect on our daily propensities. Some habits that nurtured us, despite the fear of COVID-19.
With a year to memorise,
Leaving all the sorrow and pain aside;
Let’s Welcome
The New Year with a Smile & Better Hope.
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Tags: Covid-19, Covid-Free Places, Good things in 2020, things we learned, We Learnt in 2020