With the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, we are all in some sense out of school. But there is no doubt we are learning...new ways of living, getting along, expressing concern, thinking, and occupying ourselves. And indeed, new ways of learning.
But then, learning doesn’t happen automatically. In this case, we have progressed from distanced observation, to curious concern, to suddenly, being placed in the middle of change. From a routine of late-night study and rushing just in time to classes and scrambling to turn in assignments, we have suddenly been thrown into an extended waiting period. Some of us have had to simply forget the idea of classes, while a few others have had to adapt to online interactions — which are always not as efficient or productive as one would like them to be. And even if we have tried to move much of our lives online, there is still much more time at our disposal than we are used to. Time that cannot be used by hanging out with friends in the canteen or debating the state of the world over endless cups of chai under the eaves of our favourite crowded and smoky adda .
What next?
For those who are in a graduating class, this period can be particularly testing, with all the uncertainty about when the college or school session will resume, when hiring or admissions to the next level will begin, and when one should move into the next phase of preparation. How long will we have to wait? What will be the state of the economy when we emerge from this? Will there be jobs? What will be the impact of these lost months on college admissions and other opportunities? These are questions that many youngsters are dealing with.
One thing that we will all have to learn is patience, and the ability to accept a level of uncertainty. These questions are difficult to answer, and a small consolation may be that everyone is in this together. No one has the advantage of knowledge, even though, admittedly, some have the advantage of more resources (money, contacts, and so on).
The other thing that we can learn, if we choose to do so, is managing ourselves and our time without the pressure (and the support) of social obligations. Even though you may have virtual meetups and some level of keeping up with social media feeds, the absence of those chai-time conversations should give you the time and the freedom (of a kind) to reflect on the things you enjoy doing and perhaps, the things you could be doing — to catch up on reading, to reflect on what you want to do, to assess your preparation for those goals, to make some plans toward those ends.
This is also a time to rediscover ourselves without the scaffolding of institutions and other people — even though the reason we are in this situation is to protect those very things. But maybe we can also use the time to strengthen those connections that tend to get weakened by our everyday routines; this could be family, childhood friends, or others you have just missed catching up with. It is not often that we are all stopped at the same time, and forced to confront our shared reality. Perhaps, we should consider it an opportunity to take stock, at many levels, and learn some new lessons.
The writer teaches at the University of Hyderabad and edits Teacher Plus. usha.bpgll@gmail.com
