Beat the blues: We win even when we let others win
Our lives had entered the fast lane, and the vaccination drive against Covid-19 held a mirror to that euphoria. A palpable frenzy to get vaccinated at the earliest had unfolded. Ironically, the ones who did not qualify went into a tizzy trying to outdo their peers in getting the jab first.
Never had I thought that a time would come when people would be looking forward to co-morbidities in their medical tests. A little over a month ago, my friend was elated to find her sugar levels a wee bit high. “I think I qualify for the vaccination,” she said elated as those above 45 years with co-morbidities were being inoculated.
In the good old days, a stitch in time saved nine, but now we’re ready to put 20 stitches before time even if it pushes our stress bar higher. In fact, we don’t think twice before jumping the gun to reach the finish line of a race that’s only in our minds. Every aspect of our lives has become about hurrying things up, becoming a pack of nerves and turning around to say, “Stress ho gaya (I’m stressed).”
We are indeed living in stressful times. Finding a good parking spot is bothersome or waiting in a long queue loathsome. Our privileged friends feel bogged down when their networks get slow. Youngsters are a harried lot when they’re unable to muster quick responses on their social media handles.
It’s no longer like living in the olden times, when stress had a different connotation. What it meant for our forefathers was fighting for the freedom of our country or keeping our borders safe from the enemy or bringing in the Industrial Revolution. Anything less than that never bothered them because they had the patience to wade through the smaller ups and downs of everyday life.
As school kids, we too had a longdistance relationship with stress. No, I’m not coming up with a crossing the river and going to school story, but my stress used to come once a year, during the exams. For the rest of the year, we were pretty strong to bear the small challenges of life. We were taught that there’s a time and place for everything, and since we waited for the appropriate moment, there did not arise much stress. I remember my brother Alok joking with mother that if she got worked up about the little things so quickly, how would she ever go to the front?
At the end of the day, we were so embroiled in our daily battles that we missed the larger picture of life, where we had to think beyond ourselves. We had increased our own stress by putting our individual selves ahead of others, in a regressive competition of sorts. The realm of society as a whole was also our responsibility. Sadly, that thought process has been relegated to the backburner. We conveniently forget that we can only grow when society grows. In this game of life, perhaps we could take a step back and realise that we won even when we let others win. The change will certainly be heartening.
IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS, A STITCH IN TIME SAVED NINE, BUT NOW WE’RE READY TO PUT 20 STITCHES BEFORE TIME EVEN IF IT PUSHES OUR STRESS BAR HIGHER