The Curse Of Living In Interesting Times
My old man reads a lot of books. Often, I get to hear of some random quips, quotes and facts from whatever he's been reading or if something catches his fancy. In one of our discussions, he mentioned this phrase that is sometimes used to curse one's enemies: "May you live in interesting times". It's funny, it made me laugh and it was catchy enough to stick in my brain. Looking at how things are today, I can't help but think of it as one of the most devious curses one could wish upon someone.
I have abstained from my rants for a long time now as the political discourse in my country of residence is a risky topic. As a person who wishes to take sides with no party, good or evil, it's in my best interest to prioritise survival, even if that means lurking in the shadows. While those issues have been plaguing my surroundings for a few years now, I have managed to find a sort of nihilistic calm in my chambers. After all, these are democratically elected oppressive regimes that reflect the views of the majority, irrespective of actual representation. However, the global pandemic of a new Coronavirus has become a more pressing concern in recent weeks.
There are a number of concerns regarding the Coronavirus - it spreads fast, the symptoms may not surface for two weeks, it's hard to test for and governments are using it as an excuse for widespread censorship. This new virus is now officially called COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation and SARS-CoV-2 by some. The name breakdown is easy - Co for Corona, vi for virus, d for disease and 19 for the year it was first detected, i.e., 2019. Some of you may also hear of it as the Chinese virus (by DJ Trump) since the epicentre for this outbreak was tracked to the Wuhan district in China. What makes COVID-19 so scary is not just its lethal potential but that it shares many of its symptoms with the common flu and the precise testing equipment to identify it is very hard to come by. Oh, one last teeny bit of detail - no cure or vaccine either. Not yet anyway. It could take another couple of months before the lab coat people have something certifiably effective which will make its way to the masses. Ladies, gents and everything else that can access the internet - welcome to your first pandemic experience.
Following that, there are even more concerns when it comes to people - most of them are stupider than you think, react poorly in stressful situations and often prove to be untrustworthy. After weeks of memes regarding people panic buying grocery supplies like toilet rolls, I saw it first-hand at my local supermarket. It was the same scenario around the hand sanitizer and face masks when the first case of the Coronavirus was reported in my town. The irony in people creating shortages by panic buying in case there are shortages seems to be going over the heads of many.
The government enforced shutdowns are also leading to mass unemployment in the service-based industries, especially food and travel. On top of that, many families are realising how messed up their relationship dynamic is after being stuck together endlessly for over 48 hours. The memes of modern parents having to spend time with their offspring for a change can make for a nice chuckle. On the flip side, it is also forcing people to work on their relationships with their loved ones and forge stronger bonds.
Social distancing and self-isolation are easier said than done as most people don't live in apartments big enough to do so. I remember having to triple share a room while sharing the two-bedroom flat with a total of 6 other people in Mumbai. With travel restrictions, the option of "going home" is also limited. The governments are being shouted at to "do something". So, they're putting everything on lockdown and spying on everyone so they can keep a check on potential threats. Some of these measures can easily be misused given that all political parties have underlying agendas behind their actions. The spread of misinformation on social media platforms is compounded by the fear-mongering of media outlets. Calling them news sources would be an insult to the term itself. At best they are money-making enterprises and at worst they are simply the propaganda channels for the vilest ideologies of the current governments. This pattern is true across nations.
A good way to be somewhat better informed is to check the official websites and verified Twitter handles of government departments for news updates, and corroborate new information from multiple sources. Your Whatsapp group is extremely unlikely to offer anything more insightful than the WHO or CDC. If you're forcibly stuck in Whatsapp groups for sake of self-preservation, use it to identify the potential idiots who could be a nuisance and would be better off in quarantine themselves, preferably with padded white walls and a straightjacket.
Anyway, back to the problem that CAN be fixed - the COVID-19 pandemic. Its fatality rate is concentrated among the elderly and those with underlying illnesses or pre-existing respiratory ailments. Realistically, the timeline for a reliable vaccine as well as a specialised cure will take around a year to make. In the meantime, the testing kits need to be made easily available across the world and the test time should be brought down to just a couple of hours. Pharma companies are working with governments to fast track the testing process to human clinical trials. The search for a viable solution is very much underway, but it takes time. Even if not fatal, it could be a chronic case for those with weak immune systems. So, the quarantine is not just about protecting yourself from catching it, but to also avoid passing it to someone more susceptible to it than yourself.
If you want tips on what to do to safeguard yourself or at least lower the risk of infection, check out to the right kind of medical websites and use a dash of common sense. The basic idea is to stay clean, avoid contact, sanitise your home and workspace, wash regularly and don't put your filthy hands on your face. Once the people with the relevant PhDs and doctorates have concocted the right medicines and vaccines to deal with COVID-19, which is a long process currently underway, normality will be restored with side effects. If you're interested in the history and timeline of this new Coronavirus, I suggest you explore both the WHO and CDC websites among others.
The global economy is in a bit of a free fall too since people have been on lockdown. Factories have been shut down, supply chains broken and stock prices are falling. These are just some of the economic impacts of COVID-19 which all point to an impending recession. Depending on where you live, your political masters may claim this to be false but if you apply some more common sense, the impact of a global pandemic on the economy is pretty inherent. Many nations like US and those under the EU have announced various financial measures to try and cushion the impact, pump money into the economy to keep it from collapsing altogether. However, when work processes are impacted all around the world for what will be an extended period of time, a recession seems inevitable until the industries can recover. If you're a young'un about to enter the job market in the coming 6-9 months, I'd advise using your quarantine period to learn a few extra skills.
To sum up - a global pandemic, oppressive regimes through democratic elections, untrustworthy media and a looming global recession. We are living in interesting times indeed.
The final piece of advice I'd like to impart onto you for all of this would be to act sensibly. Feel free to share your experience during these times in the comments below and make sure you clean all your electronic devices and accessories regularly. Take care y'all.
I have abstained from my rants for a long time now as the political discourse in my country of residence is a risky topic. As a person who wishes to take sides with no party, good or evil, it's in my best interest to prioritise survival, even if that means lurking in the shadows. While those issues have been plaguing my surroundings for a few years now, I have managed to find a sort of nihilistic calm in my chambers. After all, these are democratically elected oppressive regimes that reflect the views of the majority, irrespective of actual representation. However, the global pandemic of a new Coronavirus has become a more pressing concern in recent weeks.
There are a number of concerns regarding the Coronavirus - it spreads fast, the symptoms may not surface for two weeks, it's hard to test for and governments are using it as an excuse for widespread censorship. This new virus is now officially called COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation and SARS-CoV-2 by some. The name breakdown is easy - Co for Corona, vi for virus, d for disease and 19 for the year it was first detected, i.e., 2019. Some of you may also hear of it as the Chinese virus (by DJ Trump) since the epicentre for this outbreak was tracked to the Wuhan district in China. What makes COVID-19 so scary is not just its lethal potential but that it shares many of its symptoms with the common flu and the precise testing equipment to identify it is very hard to come by. Oh, one last teeny bit of detail - no cure or vaccine either. Not yet anyway. It could take another couple of months before the lab coat people have something certifiably effective which will make its way to the masses. Ladies, gents and everything else that can access the internet - welcome to your first pandemic experience.
Following that, there are even more concerns when it comes to people - most of them are stupider than you think, react poorly in stressful situations and often prove to be untrustworthy. After weeks of memes regarding people panic buying grocery supplies like toilet rolls, I saw it first-hand at my local supermarket. It was the same scenario around the hand sanitizer and face masks when the first case of the Coronavirus was reported in my town. The irony in people creating shortages by panic buying in case there are shortages seems to be going over the heads of many.
The government enforced shutdowns are also leading to mass unemployment in the service-based industries, especially food and travel. On top of that, many families are realising how messed up their relationship dynamic is after being stuck together endlessly for over 48 hours. The memes of modern parents having to spend time with their offspring for a change can make for a nice chuckle. On the flip side, it is also forcing people to work on their relationships with their loved ones and forge stronger bonds.
Social distancing and self-isolation are easier said than done as most people don't live in apartments big enough to do so. I remember having to triple share a room while sharing the two-bedroom flat with a total of 6 other people in Mumbai. With travel restrictions, the option of "going home" is also limited. The governments are being shouted at to "do something". So, they're putting everything on lockdown and spying on everyone so they can keep a check on potential threats. Some of these measures can easily be misused given that all political parties have underlying agendas behind their actions. The spread of misinformation on social media platforms is compounded by the fear-mongering of media outlets. Calling them news sources would be an insult to the term itself. At best they are money-making enterprises and at worst they are simply the propaganda channels for the vilest ideologies of the current governments. This pattern is true across nations.
A good way to be somewhat better informed is to check the official websites and verified Twitter handles of government departments for news updates, and corroborate new information from multiple sources. Your Whatsapp group is extremely unlikely to offer anything more insightful than the WHO or CDC. If you're forcibly stuck in Whatsapp groups for sake of self-preservation, use it to identify the potential idiots who could be a nuisance and would be better off in quarantine themselves, preferably with padded white walls and a straightjacket.
Anyway, back to the problem that CAN be fixed - the COVID-19 pandemic. Its fatality rate is concentrated among the elderly and those with underlying illnesses or pre-existing respiratory ailments. Realistically, the timeline for a reliable vaccine as well as a specialised cure will take around a year to make. In the meantime, the testing kits need to be made easily available across the world and the test time should be brought down to just a couple of hours. Pharma companies are working with governments to fast track the testing process to human clinical trials. The search for a viable solution is very much underway, but it takes time. Even if not fatal, it could be a chronic case for those with weak immune systems. So, the quarantine is not just about protecting yourself from catching it, but to also avoid passing it to someone more susceptible to it than yourself.
If you want tips on what to do to safeguard yourself or at least lower the risk of infection, check out to the right kind of medical websites and use a dash of common sense. The basic idea is to stay clean, avoid contact, sanitise your home and workspace, wash regularly and don't put your filthy hands on your face. Once the people with the relevant PhDs and doctorates have concocted the right medicines and vaccines to deal with COVID-19, which is a long process currently underway, normality will be restored with side effects. If you're interested in the history and timeline of this new Coronavirus, I suggest you explore both the WHO and CDC websites among others.
The global economy is in a bit of a free fall too since people have been on lockdown. Factories have been shut down, supply chains broken and stock prices are falling. These are just some of the economic impacts of COVID-19 which all point to an impending recession. Depending on where you live, your political masters may claim this to be false but if you apply some more common sense, the impact of a global pandemic on the economy is pretty inherent. Many nations like US and those under the EU have announced various financial measures to try and cushion the impact, pump money into the economy to keep it from collapsing altogether. However, when work processes are impacted all around the world for what will be an extended period of time, a recession seems inevitable until the industries can recover. If you're a young'un about to enter the job market in the coming 6-9 months, I'd advise using your quarantine period to learn a few extra skills.
To sum up - a global pandemic, oppressive regimes through democratic elections, untrustworthy media and a looming global recession. We are living in interesting times indeed.
The final piece of advice I'd like to impart onto you for all of this would be to act sensibly. Feel free to share your experience during these times in the comments below and make sure you clean all your electronic devices and accessories regularly. Take care y'all.
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