Finding meaning in the mundane
So, are you one of us who looked forward to the New Year starting on a better note only to find little has changed if they haven’t actually become worse? All resolutions made appear quite meaningless — at least for now.
I suspect this is the situation with many.
For two years now we have been largely confined at home. Each time there were signs of some sort of normalcy being restored there was a new wave to set us back. In the early days of Covid we were told to prepare for a new normal. There were self-help tips and YouTube videos galore to teach us how to gainfully occupy ourselves, adjust to Work-From-Home, learn new skills and discover our inner strength. Now, everyone is tired of such lectures and articles. So, the latest buzz is how to take Covid in our stride, treat it like ordinary flu and move on. Easier said than done.
Forget the adults — children have lost two precious formative years of their life attending on-line classes from home. This is going to impact their academic and intellectual development for sure. But, what it would do to their social skills only time will tell. Will they grow up as maladjusted individuals? Or society itself will change unrecognisably in a few years down the line ushering a quantum shift in human evolution?
But, those are questions for philosophers to ponder upon.
For lesser mortals, it is more a problem of the here and now. How to keep our spirits up and navigate through the coming few months. Vaccines and boosters were touted as panaecia. But, #Omicron has cocked a snook at it. So, how do we go forward blindfolded as it were?
I for one have already put my plans through a reality check, breaking down the annual goals into small chunks, taking one month at a time. Like we were taught while formulating business plans — have tried to do sensitivity analysis under an optimistic and pessimistic scenario. One needs to have contingency plans for the latter but also have a war-chest should new opportunities arise if the situation turns positive.
The essence being — we must take one day at a time. Be grateful and celebrate small wins. But, that does not mean we allow the days to pass by and keep drifting aimlessly.
Finding meaning in the mundane is the key to happiness in uncertain times.
