Pandemic and Education

 HOW THE PANDEMIC HELPED TO FIND PURPOSE

by Suvankar Das

What is the purpose of life? It is a very important question. If you ask this question, nobody will tell you the answer. And if somebody tells you, it means that he/she doesn’t know the answer. It means a lot to everyone.
Your purpose decides the path you need to travel while you are alive. It will help you move forward in life. Many people don’t even think about this question. They simply come to live and then die. Consider yourself lucky if this question crosses your mind. It removes your confusion about who you are. What do you want in your life? There is no single answer to this question. Everything which exists in this world has a purpose, but whenever you start thinking of purpose in your life, you will not be able to find it most of the time. This is because the purpose keeps on shifting throughout life in response to the priorities and experiences.
The true purpose of life is to recognize your own self, your own talent, and use that to contribute to the world. Some may relate it with vocation, some with the family responsibility, some may connect it to spirituality.

 

During the first couple of weeks, there were citywide lockdowns. The only people that were allowed to leave home were “essential workers.” If you were pulled over by police after curfew and not deemed an essential worker, you were either fined or thrown in jail. Also, tissue, paper towels, cleaning supplies were out of stock; certain food items, like meat, were limited to one item per household. Times were hard. Everybody was scared. I had to find things to do so that I wouldn’t be so focused on negative thoughts or fall into a deep depression.

Years ago, I made a list of things that I’ve always wanted to do, and I would add to that list often. One of those things was sewing. I had nothing else to do, so I bought a sewing machine. It was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. I’ve always wanted to sew clothes. My family and friends often tell me that I have way too many clothes, but I don’t believe them. Now, armed with my sewing machine during a citywide lockdown, I was given plenty of time to learn how to make new pieces. My initial goal was to sew clothes. It wasn’t a day or two after I purchased it that people were panicking about the shortage of face masks. So that became my first sewing project. Since quarantine, I’ve created over 200 masks for family, friends, and my community. It may not seem like a lot, but for someone to start out knowing little about sewing, in a situation like this I was forced to learn quickly.

To survive the pandemic, we need to give a new meaning to life, so that we can prepare for the new needs of the post-Covid world. It means it has a direct effect on the way we were thinking of our purpose in life and the way coronavirus has forced us to think about this important question. We have to find new ways of working towards our goals in life. Every life on earth is as important as human beings are. We have to adapt to new ideas to make sense of the things happening around us and start filtering what is required and what is not.

Because not all students are returning to campus this fall, there should be a system to check up on all of them, especially those who had to go back home. There are lots of students like me who still live with parents who have to take care of families, go to school, work, and make ends meet. From my university, I would like to see them checking in frequently on students by providing mental health and holistic supports, such as counseling or other resources.

I would also love to see my university providing social emotional support for students, especially during a time such as this. Students are often dealing with a lot of things, and that support could go a long way to help academic success, reduce emotional stress, and encourage a more positive mental state. I believe the university could provide ways to make sure students are OK.

Coronavirus has already changed the world in many ways and now we will have to change with it. The corona pandemic has given us an opportunity to reevaluate the purpose of life.