When I was watching the Union budget for the year 2020-21, the market leaned towards a downward trend. A group of us were analysing it when one person pointed out that it might be due to the Global market’s reaction to COVID-19, a virus that originated in Wuhan, China.

Before long, India had its first few cases. This is the real world where I also live in and there is certainly an impact now. There are many fear swings that are a result of what we read from different sources, forwards included. To clear my mind, I wanted to get to the bottom of how they are appearing all of a sudden and spreading.

Ecosystem balancing

A friend, who is a doctor, told me that the virus was the first being to appear in the eco system even before human beings. In fact it then lived in animals and finally spread to humans. Based on this, we can create a hypothesis: Exploitation of the ecosystem leaves no place for the virus to go and it comes to the humans. This sounded logical to me. This is how the eco system is self-balancing.

Mobility

Spreading all over the world or rather human mobility has become one of the most important part of both professional and personal lives. The average earning of an individual has gone up after this over exploitation of nature. With the aim of improving their lives, people have become more mobile than ever before.

It looks like we touched the peak.

The result

There has been social distancing and quarantining and they have brought some good results. What this implies is that during this time there will be no more gyms, malls, public gatherings, movies, travel, eating outside etc. People are all now with their family members at their homes. This feels like we have travelled back in time to a period 30 years ago. I was also trying to simulate the scenario without the maids. We wash our clothes, do the dishes, cook and even manage to clean and do gardening.

This has resulted in reducing our expenditure to a large extend. There is more peace and less anxiety. We are using more of technology than mobility. We also sit together at home for meals.

A few permanent changes  

There has to be some positive Impact of this virus. It is a time to pause and think. It should leave some permanent changes in all of us. Here are a few that I have listed out:

1. Every individual will now be more serious about how they should manage personal hygiene.
2. Namaskar and social distancing will become a fashion/practice now.
3. Eating at home will bring back good taste, health and happiness
4. Self-Management of cooking, cleaning, driving, washing and ironing clothes will be the new skills acquired by all.
5. There will be more time spent ding with family and more engagement with children for some and even parents for a few.
6. There will be a realisation by some on how nature’s fury can threaten human existence.
7. When we do all the above, there will be a positive impact on climate change.
8. People will concentrate on essentials and also think about the wellbeing of the community.
9. Countries will have more budget for health and relative Defence budgets.
10. Investment in research on health care will go up including home ICU facilities as there is no better place for quarantine than homes.
11. Cybersecurity professionals and criminals will become more active.
12. The importance of mall retailers will be known and traders will also make more business.

The list can go on and on. Let us make these temporary changes permanent and make life better than what it has been in the last few decades.

Do write to me and tell me what you think about these newfound lifestyle changes and how it has impacted you.