After many weeks in lockdown I had a chance to drive through the city of Mumbai. Both the times it felt eerie. You can’t help but feel that we are at war. There are police check posts at various points. Roads are barricaded without assigning any reason. Traffic is non-existent. Barely anyone is walking on the roads.
As I drove there was an overhanging fear that someone will stop us. Consequences of that engagement are a complete unknown. It is that fear that is driving everyone nuts. Fear is ruling our lives and we have become prisoners in our own country. It was a source of great wonderment and joy that nobody actually stopped us.
The very people we put in place to look after us — the politicians, the bureaucrats, the police, the armed forces — have put us in this strange imprisonment. The very people who pay for their existence have been imprisoned and are further being pressurised to pay more. Shouldn’t it be each person’s decision to deal with the fear as they fit. But no, the system wants to decide for you. On top of that, governing bodies don’t trust the people. Don’t deal with the very people that appoint them with any kind of trust. They suddenly start behaving like rulers.
In the current scenario nobody has any idea about finding the way out of this maze. Especially not those in power at this moment. There are way too many dead ends and they are simply not equipped to handle the challenges. We need to allow experts in each field to be taking these decisions and giving us direction. Experts who understand economics to figure out the measures required to revive the comatose economy. The people in power must accept that they are not capable enough and allow others to navigate.
All commercial establishments are closed. This vibrant and busy city is dead. It feels like a ghost town. The wheels of commerce are still. It is an induced coma. Money is scarce. Many in the world are struggling to feed themselves. Fear has paralysed society. The fear of the virus has now compounded into many other anxieties. There is a lot of worry about the future. How long will this lockdown last? The longer it goes on, the collateral damage will be hard to imagine. Starvation deaths, civil unrest and a frustrated population are just a few to name. The fallout is incomprehensible.
Most people cling to their fears. This fear of lack that they are now experiencing shall be hard to let go. In turn the tendency to hoard shall increase and the tendency to save shall increase too. The impact of drastically reduced consumption on the finances of all businesses shall be horrid. Whilst I do say this, it will have a very positive impact on the planet. Reduced consumption will mean reduced environmental damage. Meaning that the Earth will still have a fighting chance. A positive outcome of the fear. Sadly not a conscious collective call by humanity. Two very diverse and confusing perspectives. Is there any way to align both these such that the economy works and the planet is also happy? Please do share if you have any thoughts on this.
Anxiety and fear are emotions we all experience from time to time. Some of that is good as it pushes us to put that little extra effort to make things happen for ourselves. But when it becomes debilitating and starts to impair our ability to function it becomes a real problem. As long as we can bring this thought into our awareness then we shall be able to spot when it is all getting a bit too much and take appropriate action.
The fear that we are just not good enough can stop us from taking the risks required to make a difference to ourselves and to our sphere of influence. It prevents us from reaching our true potential. Leading to a double conundrum where there is a lack of fulfilment with the status quo and there is a mental block to pursue anything better. This leaves us stuck in the orbit that we are in.
This is exactly how I feel during these times of lockdown. I am frustrated by this lockdown and yet cannot muster up the courage to fight the system and find a way out. I am resigned to the situation and supremely depressed in many ways. I am yearning to get my freedom and also accepting my fate to be imprisoned at home.
I am happy to hear the arguments for and against the lockdown but am able to do little to break the shackles. I have strong views about what to do but have no way to get my message across. At the same time I have to put an end to the blame game and allow life to happen for me.
Am I simply scaring myself into imagining negative outcomes? Simply because I think about possible negative scenarios, does not mean that they will happen. Things can pan out very differently. We need to bring the many positive possibilities in our awareness too.
Whilst the fear of the new normal for the world is definitely consuming me, I must overcome my fear in order to be able to enjoy a life of greater confidence and joy. The road ahead may look tough, but I must beat my fears and find my rightful place in the new normal.
“Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Written By Mohit Gupta
Week 19, May ’20
