My Takeaways From 2020 : The Year of the Great Divide
100 days are left for 2020 to come to an end. The year has wreaked havoc in the lives of most people on this planet. The invisible enemy, which claimed its first victim late last year, swung into full-fledged action early this year and is still on the prowl as I write this. India has been one of the countries worst-affected by the coronavirus, and the pandemic coupled with the prolonged lockdown and the staggered unlock phases, has come down heavily on both the financial as well as mental health of a large part of the citizenry. I was cursed enough to be a final-semester college student in 2020, and my batch has been tossed around for nearly six months — April to September — with little regard to the crippling mental health conditions many students fell victims to. However, personally speaking, I have always believed in the principle of asking in the face of a difficult situation, “What is this difficulty trying to teach me?” This has helped me find direction, clarity and feel optimistic about positive outcomes. The incarceration has changed me in more ways than one and has taught me to wait and have patience. As things are limping back to normalcy, I want to reflect and share five of my learnings — or rather reinforcement of platitudes— from this dreaded year. I am sure some of them will be concurrent with your experiences.
1. The Importance of Good Decisions
To be honest, even before the pandemic caught us in a vice-like grip, I was not really having a great, or even a good year. This, obviously, I have realized in retrospect. My first three months of 2020 were riddled with bad decision-making. A lot of opportunities came my way but I turned a blind eye toward them. I misjudged situations and pinned unnecessary importance on things which ultimately would not have mattered that much. Like many others, I had a lot of idle time at home, and got to do a lot of introspection. I realized the lion’s share of anyone’s success can be attributed to good decisions, and it is only when one take takes good decisions that hard work pays off. Otherwise, all efforts, no matter how concerted, are laid to waste. Decisions need to be taken with careful consideration and rational analysis of long-run consequences, and not in the heat of the moment. One should not get ahead of him/herself while taking crucial decisions, something I might have done this year quite a number of times. Good decision-making is a practice, and one needs to train him/herself for it. It is a pity that it took a pandemic for me get out of my trance and realize the importance of wise decisions.
2. Ain’t No Better Teacher Than Mistakes, If You’re Willing to Learn
If bad decisions can spell trouble for someone, they can also teach one the importance of good decisions. Mistakes should not always be treated as something negative because they are things which make one realize where you need to mend yourself. Experience lets one take good decisions easily, but it is the mistake — and the consequence of the mistake — that helps one gain that experience. However, it is imperative that one kind of mistake remains a one-time occurrence and not allowed to become a habit. Choices are always political in nature, in the sense that choosing something is more of consciously not choosing the other thing. The value derived (or lost) from letting go that other thing determines the informed nature of that choice. I’d call my incapacitated 2020 a year of great mistakes of choice and equally of great learning — the kind that helps one understand the entire scheme of things anew and brings about definitive change.
3. Being Grateful is Perhaps the Key to Good Living
In a world riddled with strife, hatred, violence, phobias and ill-will, what can the average individual expect? Someone who is too engrossed in trying to eke out a livable and if possible, respectable existence for him/herself? It is of paramount importance that one learns to value what he/she is blessed with. For every bit of belonging that one has , one should have a sense of gratitude. This not only makes way for understanding the true value of things, it also makes one sensitive toward the very real problem of deprivation. People who love and care for you also expect reciprocation. While it does not cost anything, it surely makes the other person happy. Small gestures like a reply, acknowledgement or the seemingly trivial habit of saying ‘thank you’ mean much more than one can gauge. It is important to recognize who will be there for you in your times of trouble, and the incredible essence of making them feel loved cannot be overstated. One might point toward the impossibility of being grateful in a year like 2020. However, I would argue that it is by gratitude only that one can understand the importance of staying afloat when others have drowned.
4. Doom is Lurking Around the Corner, Unless We Take Action
It might not be an exaggeration to say that it might just be a matter of years before the world starts descending into destruction. The spread of the virus has clearly pointed out how vulnerable we are and how transient everything is. 2020 has helped us understand the beauty of the human touch, by taking it away from us. This means all the artificial divides, enmity, us vs them nonsense, comes to a full-stop when the ultimate enemy engages in a standoff. Unity, brotherhood and peace are things which require no pandemic to be emphasized, but just like it is said that unless something is captured within a frame, people fail to take note of it, similarly the attack of the virus has only reinforced the unmistakable importance of solidarity, of rising above hate. Sustainable development is of utmost importance in this already fragile world and it is imperative that everyone works toward building a world less vulnerable.
5. Helping has No Price Tag
Now, more than ever, is the time to do more than what is asked of one. Settling for selfish fulfilment of goals without regard for neighbours, is a sin which should disqualify someone from asking for help in his/her times of need. Give more than you take. There is a tendency of people to ridicule this principle and label it as idealistic and unrealistic. I think these are the same people who insult, look down upon and judge others without knowing anything about the burden on their shoulders. But, it is a kind of a moral duty to facilitate the progress and success of people whom one is surrounded by, because more than a competition, life is a journey where every traveler influences the other in some way. Helping and positively influencing others can go a long way and can have an impact which cannot be tangibly measured. This is especially true in 2020 when our Covid warrior doctors, nurses, the police personnel and media professionals have toiled relentlessly despite the outbreak to ensure that patients got timely treatment, the lockdown was enforced and people still got their daily dose of news updates from across the nation. There are hundreds of Chatur Ramalingams all around us, but in the midst of mindless sprinting to scale the heights, we should at least try to have the courage to be the one Rancho who changes people’s lives, because courage is not the absence of the fear of failure but the judgment that something is more important than that fear.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading. I wish nothing but the best for you.
