Life is not a bed of roses
This is perhaps a saying that all of us have heard time and again and probably it has been heard so many times that it has never been able to soak in. Being hopeful is what keeps us going. Yes, indeed! But does this mean that we hope that we never face any adversities or does it mean that we always hope that things get better. I have a problem with both. Everyone who wished me this year, and I am not exaggerating — I mean everyone apart from my immediate family, said “ 2020 was a very bad year — hope 2021 will be better!”
When one would take the time to do a survey as to why we think 2020 was a bad year, one would realize what made 2020 a bad year for most people. Uncertainty, unpreparedness, sudden change, a sudden demand for a “new normal” and a sudden need to adapt and give up a lot of things we took for granted. Very seldom have I heard anyone say that we lost so many lives. It, at the end of the day, was all about how much I had to give up, I had to adjust, I had to compromise and I had to suffer.
Why were we so uncomfortable with 2020 when we always have been told that we need to be prepared, we need to know that anything can happen any time? Was it because we were thrown out of what we thought was ours forever, was it because we were thrown out of routine and forced into a “new normal” or was it because we had no time to really understand what was happening? The virus spread much faster than the time we needed to reconcile with the change it was forcing upon us. It spread faster than we could imagine and anything beyond our imagination is not real and so we cannot accept it.
This brings me to wonder how we have accepted so many things that are beyond reality, that we actually cannot imagine. But we could not accept 2020! And what is important to note is 2020 has now become a benchmark or a standard for what is a bad year. In years to come, we’ll probably latch on to use this number as a yardstick to measure what is a good year until something that surpasses the badness of 2020 comes. Can there be nothing worse than 2020? Time will tell….
So, was life in 2020 just a bed of thorns or were there roses too? I believe 2020 taught me so much more than all other years might have. I realised the power of technology and how I should change my views about it being only have a disastrous effect on us. I also realised the power of sharing. What seemed earlier to be mine was no longer just mine — sharing was the key to continue to live. I also learnt to live peacefully with what I could get or what I had instead of wanting everything I needed even to put a simple meal together. I learnt how important it is to lead a simple life. Eat healthy but just enough and not make eating the purpose of life. 2020 was also about rediscovering hobbies, interests that were buried long ago due to so many factors, relationships that were lost somewhere and also about being more in touch with my own self. 2020 taught me how to be peaceful with the emotions of sadness and fear. More than anything else it taught me how to deal with discomfort or rather be at peace with discomfort.
2020 introduced me to me, I realised my strengths. I did not stay home as much as others did in my circle. I spend a lot of time working quietly, introspecting, bettering what I had put together and also my own skills. My thought process about a lot of things changed. I am much more aware and better prepared for adversities. I definitely have emerged stronger and more tolerant in 2020
So, this is not just about me! I see these changes happened to so many. We have all emerged stronger and have realised the power of uncertainty and change. We are better prepared and are still preparing. We do not take things for granted anymore. We have learnt to respect differences, we have learnt to appreciate, acknowledge and put ourselves in others’ shoes and think from others’ perspectives too. We have learnt to help and care. We have learnt how to spend time with ourselves and we have learnt the value of being simple. I will not use the popular word “minimalist” here as I feel more comfortable with the word “simple” as it is simpler and lighter.
2021 has brightened up all of us with hope — a simple desire to get everything back — the freedom, the life we were used to and the comfort or rather luxury we used to be smothered with. I am sure Nature wants us to have a lot, she is bountiful and loving. But she only wants us to remember lessons learnt and not repeat mistakes. Hope we have emerged wiser too like we should every year! We will all remember the lesson learnt and practice sensitivity and interdependence. The task ahead is not to get back to the old normal but to create a sustainable normal for all. This is the need for 2021 and many more years to come.
Let us together build a better world that is not just better prepared or equipped but better in deed!
Let us build a world that celebrates “togetherness in differences”.
