As the nation is reeling under hard times not only due to the second wave of the pandemic but also politically and democratically, one question that keeps popping up is: How long are we to put up with such uncertainty? Even the seasoned astrologers are frightened of foretelling when these multiple waves of the pandemic would come to an end, when we can safely relegate the masks into our stores, when our schools and colleges would open their gates to welcome our restless kids into their campuses, and when we can breathe easy without the obstruction of multiple-masks?

But I wonder if we should be too concerned about what is in store for all of us; should we break our heads thinking seriously about how the second wave could give way to the third, which we imagine may create far greater havoc than the first two. We try hard to ‘suspend our disbelief’, to borrow a phrase from the Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and we do not seem to be getting in touch with anything which would give us grip with the much-needed security and surety.

Our atmosphere has been highly polluted not so much by the chemical pollutants, smoke from vehicles, air and water; they can pollute only the air we breathe and water we drink, but today we have more serious pollutants which can cripple our being, stunt our growth, numb our sensibilities and rock our solitary boats, afloat in the middle of a limitless ocean. If we have to narrow down to those who seem to spreading so much of mental-pollution in our country, it is media, starting from the FM radios, television channels and the social media. Believe it or not, most of the media today are high-voltage transmitters of negative energy, and they are affecting the quality of our life.

I am sure all of us want to free ourselves from the highly negative and even toxic effects of the reality around, but any attempt to pump in positive energy and vibrations in and around us should take into account that we start with tabula rasa, a clean slate. We want to know what is happening in the country; whether the situation has worsened or improved; or whether thumbs-up or thumbs-down be given for our leaders in handling the situation. Thankfully most of the television channels, running round-the-clock, would run the scroll across the screen, feeding to our inquisitiveness, and we feel consoled that Covid cases have gone down by 10% or 15%, and feel that is our daily bread and butter.

We do not even want to know that the figures flashed on the television screens and newspapers, carefully monitored and manicured by the government, are far from the real figures. It is next to impossible to find out exactly how many Covid positive cases have been registered in a day, given the fact that a good majority of persons may not go for tests, even if the government health centres and hospitals may not charge for the tests, especially the RT-PCR and the SARS test. 

It has become our second nature to swallow whatever the government, be it State or Centre, tells as facts and figures, and we hardly ever suspect that reality could be quite different from what we are presented in a well-decorated platter. The figures which the government presents are often tailor-made, taking into consideration the target audience; if it meant for project completion, then the figures would tally the budget estimation, and if it is to calm the raging torrents, then figures would be brought to the rock bottom, to give assurance to the people at large that things are under control and there is nothing to worry.

But suspecting the figures we are presented with is one thing, and closing ourselves from them is another, and there is a vast difference between the two. While the former seems to ring in our minds, the latter keeps our minds preoccupied with more urgent and important things (remember the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey on ‘first things first’). True, we are often drowned by things which are not urgent and not important either (and where is time for not urgent but important tasks), and such quality time could be spent on what matters most in our lives, strengthening and savouring bonds of relationships.

It is a blessing in these days to be a person of a little knowledge, so that we are not drawn into the useless debates and discussions about which is better – Covaxine or Covishield; to go for allopathy or take the road less travelled but highly recommended by Ramdev and his Pathanjali.

It is months since I have deliberately stopped to name the virus, following the famous dictum in the Indian philosophy to identify God with nama and rupa (giving a name and a shape). I feel that the less we name the virus and talk about it, the less are we sucked by its manifold mutations in our minds. I am not going to be any less by not naming the virus or googling the various theories around it. It does not matter to me at all if I am going to fix the virus at the back of my mind, with fevi-quick, so that even in sleep I am haunted by its various avatar or do not want even to think about it.

The second resolution that I had made to keep my sanity under check is to deliberately avoid checking the number of positive cases in the state or in the country; it is not that I am trying to escape from the hardcore reality I am living in, but constantly updating the figures may only either increase or decrease my blood pressure and a host of other associated tension-induced ailments. This has had a very positive outcome in my sleep and concentration on other works, which demand my attention.

It is because I have diverted my mind from the negativities, which often uselessly eat up my energy, that I am able to experience positive energy, and remain with outstretched arms to receive never-ending source of energy from nature and the panchabhuta, the five elements. The trees and plants are all emitters of high-voltage positive energy, which can brighten me, when life’s worries and fears seem to drown me.

Being awake to greet the day, when the night is taking leave and the gentle rays of the sun envelope the sky, is yet another great moment of positive energy that brings immense vitality and stamina to go through the rough and tough weather, geographical or psychological. Breathing in and breathing out the gentle breeze at the sunrise is sure to take us through the day undisturbed.

There is too much noise around and it is hard to put aside the noise pollution to find comfort and consolation in silence. Our generation is so used to noise that the young people cannot sleep without the earplugs connected to the mobile phones. The bliss of silence is yet another great source of positive energy; those who are religiously oriented may call such blessed moment as meditation or contemplation, but spending even a few moments in silence, quietening the mind and body to enter into the eternal present (remember Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now) in-between the thoughts injected by the mind is highly rewarding and re-creating.

It is not enough to experience positive energy within us, we need to become transmitters of positive energy vibes to all those around, especially those who are drowned in negative energy. When we are able to exert and transmit powerful positive energy, we are changing our surrounding, and that is the best conducive atmosphere where it would be hard for any virus to enter in to disturb our hard-earned peace and tranquility.

One important way to be transmitters of positive energy is to spend a few moments before retiring to bed, think of all the people who need our positive energy and send the vibes of this energy to them. We send such vibes to all our dear ones, friends, relatives, colleagues, and those who are fighting battle with the virus-induced ailments. It all depends if our reservoir of positive energy is full to its capacity so that we can dispel the negative energy and bring in new energy and vitality in their lives.