Covid 19 – Changing Our Lifestyle

A  lot of negativity and gloom is prevailing right now due to the pandemic. We are not equipped to handle this kind of negativity. Every day we get to hear stories about people dying, someone losing their dear and near ones.

Some are losing their grandparents, parents and now we are losing our siblings, friends, colleagues, teachers, workers and the list is long.

When I hear news about senior relatives/citizens losing their lives to the virus I console myself saying that they atleast got a chance to live their life. But  am at a loss when I find people in their late 20s, 30s or 40s succumbing to the virus. It’s tough to digest. I was grappling with a few questions. And as if in answer I received a Sadhguru video on WhatsApp and this helped me, so have transcribed the answers which were pertinent to my questions. Hope it helps you too in case you have the same questions…

If people around me are sad how can I be happy or why should I be?

Sadhguru guided by saying it is easy to think that if so many people are miserable then let me too join them. But this is not a solution though, in fact we become a part of the problem. If people around are miserable then we should create a lighter atmosphere for them and for ourselves that is a solution.  We have to make up our mind though whether we want to be a part of a solution or part of the problem.

And keeping yourself happy is important. It is a well established fact and there is enough medical evidence to tell you that when you are joyful and exuberantly involved with life your immune system, your whole body, every aspect of your body functions way better than normal. So can we be happy?

Many lives were lost due to lack of ventilators or oxygen deficiency…how can this be?

His answer was that unfortunately people are losing their lives because no nation can be equipped to provide hospitalization for its entire population or a major segment of the population. So, the important thing is to postpone getting an infection as much as we can.

Vaccination helps by pushing the problem so that we don’t overwhelm the medical institutions and infrastructure. This will help fatalities to be brought down significantly, as people need not lose their lives. So we can help by getting vaccinated as soon as we can.

My life has changed so much, how to handle this change?

He said we have to fundamentally understand that there has been a change in our lifestyle and not life. We thought going to movies, restaurants, malls, wearing make-up, good clothes, owning houses, car, gadgets is life. But it is not so. It is just a lifestyle.

But if we misunderstand our lifestyle as life then of course we will continue to suffer. Let’s organize our lives in such a way that you are joyful, you’re well, you’re healthy, your family’s joyful, people around you are joyful and well – this is life. Lifestyle is not precious – life is precious. 

Take care!