2/18/2021 0 Comments Reflection on Lock DownIf someone can stop you at the shops and ask you “what time is it”, you might go off on a tangent digress than giving the actual time. You would be forgiven to reflect on the times we live in, indeed times have changed and innocence lost. A bank robber can take down a bank armed only with a sneeze “everybody down …if you move I’ll sneeze on you”. Who would have known that an invisible enemy can be so frightening more than a loaded gun? Who knew that a simple hug from a dear friend can be deadly or a hand shake can mean life or death. Businesses are now compelled to do things differently, technology become the only ally as people are forced to work from home . The streets are eerily empty as major cities look like deserted ghost towns. People in Hong Kong said they saw clear skies for the first time as pollution subsided and air cleared. Birds gather differently now and dolphins are sighted more on our oceans as human footprint is limited no cars, boats or planes as one friend observed. It will however be too early to count the devastating costs this Lockdown will have on our already ailing economy ravaged by years of corruption and mismanagement. We were already sitting on ticking time-bomb way before the Covid19 outbreak, poverty unemployment and inequality was a reality of millions of our people. Now this comes as a proverbial nail in the coffin for those already leaving below the poverty line who have to be on the streets to eke out a living some with a compromised immune system due to prevalent and communicable disease HIV/AIDS and TB. Also from other non-communicable ones like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung diseases like asthma etc. Today, marks the beginning of the second week of the lockdown during which infection numbers are expected to increase. There seem to be a general feeling of paralysis and fear as the news broadcasts keep updating us about the about the new infections, while we hope for the curve to flatten by staying at home some view this a government’s infringement on their rights to freedom of movement and gathering. A recent arrest of the newlyweds and 50 more of their guest at the wedding in eNseleni outside Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal for contravening the lockdown regulations is a clear indication of this. It is disheartening to realise that to many the seriousness of this epidemic has not sunk in yet. We are now at precipice of a domestic violence crisis fuelled by anxiety, stay-athome rules and economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. There is already early evidence of increased intensity of abuse of people in unhealthy relationships. With partners and children potentially trapped at home in bad situations, experts worry that there could be more abuse and that the issues people face in bad relationships could get even worse. An expert says “Because survivors of domestic violence are often already isolated, with limited access to financial resources and social networks, it can feel even more challenging to find and receive the support they need." The message “Stay at home” is not good for domestic violence victims. They face a tough choice in weighing the risks of staying at home against those posed by leaving in the middle of a pandemic. This is like saying to someone drowning wait for 21days for help. No textbook in “Crisis management” would have foreseen and prepared us for this. Now is the time for a more scientific and analytical approach, as the physicist Marie Curie said: "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." In these trying times the adage that says "Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean." rings true. This crisis offers us a rare opportunity to bond with our families in fact the higher the frequency of shared time the better for the soul. This allows us to redefine the true meaning of family. Work-life balance, family responsibilities, etc., can be stressful but these 21days should be seen a reset button to reboot our connections at home. Eating together, baking, dancing, doing house chores, praying as a family, Storytime, and video calling loved ones the list is endless. Friends we have an option of being defeated and paralysed with fear or rise above this I choose the latter. The Winans wrote a song that said Ain't no need in worrying, what the night is gonna bring, it'll be all over in the morning. Till then let’s stay safe and prayed up!! By Mnoza Melane.
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