It has been 14 days into the Indian lockdown and slowly, people have adjusted to the new normal. They are discovering new ways to keep themselves engaged at home, learning to use resources judiciously and we’re seeing many Good Samaritans across the country. At the same time, some folks claim to be “going insane” within their houses, unable to go out, people are doing increasingly stupid things from cooking up conspiracy theories to using the pandemic to fuel their personal feuds and prejudice against communities and groups. Like any other disaster, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought out people’s extreme natures.

In the paper and news channels, you see some leaders taking extremely good measures, some of them helping out other countries and others who still seem to not understand the gravity of the situation. For every volunteer putting his life on the line, someone is violating quarantine and endangering others. For every doctor or medical professional prophesying a dark but honest future, there is another set of people who are trying to cover up the ground reality and give false hopes. The other major debate the pandemic has triggered is that of “religion versus science”, with no side dominating the other. 

A lot of you are surely eagerly counting down the days to April 15 when the lockdown will supposedly be lifted because you think it’ll give you new-found freedom. My question to you is: what’s the first thing (or first three things) you will do when the lockdown is lifted? Run on the street? Meet up with your boyfriend? Go straight to your desk in the office?

The answer to that question tells you what you’ve really missed in this period: friends? Family? Routine work-life? While you’re thinking about this, also imagine how difficult it’s going to be to do some activities that were so common earlier. Can you ever go to a movie theatre or cricket match without fear? Can we all move to a stage where we are no longer apprehensive of people who cough or sneeze? You may have missed a truckload of things but perhaps it is worth considering this lockdown period as a transition phase into a new world on the other side. 

That’s what the second week is mainly about – a transition. In this week, you’ve realised that nothing goes according to plan beyond a certain extent and that new surprises and bombshells are always around the corner. People are sharing posts, prayers and challenges online that they never would have done on a non-corona day and memes which were once funny are now becoming scary. It is that period when you are starting to get used to the situation while also eagerly waiting for the last day of the lockdown.  

You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all. No plan. You know why? If you make a plan, life never works out that way. (translated)

Ki-taek, Parasite (2019)

This pandemic – by the time it crosses over completely – would have completely changed the way we live, from our household duties to our career paths. Some sectors are losing billions of dollars due to the pandemic while others are getting new projects and jobs because of it. Students worldwide are going to question the need for classrooms at all, institutes will capitalise on remote learning to take in twice or thrice as many applicants, healthcare industries are working overtime and the tourism industry has become non-existent. 

This is turning out to be the true test of people’s character, leadership and change management skills in any industry. Five years from now, I think people are going to be more interested in knowing how you managed your team in this crisis than if you are an MBA graduate from a top B-school. They are going to value the skills you used to acclimatise to the situation rather than the courses you’ve done and the skillset you claim to have. Similarly, using this time to learn a new skill – or better yet, develop or work on something to fight against the coronavirus – can possibly fill the gap in your resume of the internship opportunity you lost.

The same goes even in the domestic sphere: this is a test of how we change our lives at home and social skills appropriately. A few years ago, people were so excited when thinking about a digital future where everyone would communicate only through screens but suddenly people are upset that they haven’t spoken in person to anyone in days? People who, at one point, hated going to office are now getting irritated with WFH also. Humans are indeed “social animals” but we are also creatures who can adapt ourselves to any situation. 

The two weeks of lockdown have taught us a lot of things: our priorities can change dramatically over a week, some of us want a stronger WiFi connection while others want a stronger social connection and “long-term” planning now means what you’re going to do next week. It has also taught us that delivery men, farmers, and doctors are some of the lifelines of the country and the planet while entertainers are not. Let’s use this time to remember and thank these souls who are fighting the virus for us. Let’s stay safe and hope they are safe too. We need these people to do their job. We need them to show us hope. We need to show them we care too.