Namrata Sharma

Instead of talking and listening to the negative aspects of the coronavirus pandemic only, it is good to look at some of the positive aspects as well,” said Dr Baneera Bijjala, a Nepali-origin pediatrician, presently settled and working in the UK for over two decades, during a WhatsApp conversation with me. She further opined that ‘in the western world, the people are now seeking spiritual values more and more to comfort themselves and those around them’. This led to a change in lifestyle, including moving towards vegetarianism, the decrease in alcohol consumption and use of intoxicants. Instead of seeking various external factors to make oneself happy the trend of seeking happiness within oneself is increasing more and more.
This conversation made me reflect on our lifestyles. Although in countries like Nepal, religion and spirituality are integral, some take them for granted, but there are others who internalise and adopt them as their daily practices. From what I know through my visits in western countries, many people have a tradition of weekly religious activities like the church services and so on. However, they do not make these as parts of their day-to-day activities like many households in Nepal where there is a worship room where many families worship at least once a day.

Empty Churches!
Research has shown that the church-going people in many western countries are decreasing and many churches are now empty with hardly any services even once a week. During my visit to Holland just before the pandemic, a friend took me to the architecturally beautiful and historically famous churches there. These worship places were now more of touristic destinations rather than places of religious worship! The priests were trying to get the local people to start visiting churches again, but were not too successful.
With the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic, the people suddenly found themselves locked in within limited spaces. A major change in lifestyle took place, and the people were forced to work from their homes for those who had the option of doing so. Many people had to cope with the fact that they had to stop working altogether as online working from home was not possible in their profession. People also had to face the reality of staying away from their near and dear ones. On the other hand, many people have had to stay together for long periods of time in small and confined spaces that allowed limited movements. This created a sudden impact on the economic, financial, educational, food and entertainment habits of people all around the world. There were also increase in physical and mental violence and disturbances.
So what are the positive things that Dr Bijjala is talking about? “Many people in the western world are now moving towards spirituality and seeking happiness within themselves,” she informed me. There were many courses on yoga being offered by institutions like the Bramhakumaris, the Art of Living, and mystics like Sadguru and many others. Also churches were offering online services which were being used by more and more people.
Nowadays, many people have registered for on-line yoga and meditation courses, which have become their daily habits. The pub-going culture in London and other parts of UK is a well-known phenomenon. This came to a halt during lockdowns. People struggled to get used to their new lifestyle and as soon as lockdowns were lifted they rushed to the pubs and bars which increased infections, leading towards second rounds of lockdowns. Yoga, meditation and exercising habits have increased during lockdowns.
Many voracious meat-eaters are turning slowly towards vegetarianism both in the western countries and the eastern countries like Nepal. Besides vegetarianism, many people have decreased or completely stopped their alcohol intake. As the world is heading towards the digital age due to the coronavirus pandemic, the children’s schooling has shifted to the virtual class rooms. There is also a massive increase in on-line yoga and meditation classes to address both mental and physical well-being of children, the youth, the adults and the elderly.

Meditation
To be happy in life we need to decrease stress. The science of happiness is to release stress. Online courses that are being offered now and which can be accessed freely via YouTube and other social media teach us how to release various hormones within our bodies to be happy and not have to rely on various intoxicants. There are many medical professionals like Dr Bijjala who are now using these techniques to help their patients. Meditation is not only good for one’s well-being and happiness but also a great panacea to cope against the loss of the near and dear ones due to coronavirus infections.
The digital media are effective means in offering programmes to help people look at ways in which they can cope with the loss of near and dear ones. While many are losing their own near and dear ones many see this daily in social media like the Facebook, Twitter and feel sad and even go into depression. Dr Bijjala is also looking at various ways of helping people cope with grievances.
Spirituality has different meanings to different people. It could be just belief in God; however, to others it could just be an association with any kind of faith they want to stick to even if not applying religious practices. For many people even as religious beliefs may decrease, spiritual identification could remain and increase steadily. There is also a belief that as spirituality increases, compassion, improved self-esteem and improved relationships happiness for people could happen gradually. The time has now come to make sure children start developing these practices from an early age so they learn the skills and techniques to cope with difficult stages in their lives.

(Namrata Sharma is a senior journalist and human rights advocate. namrata1964@yahoo.comTwitter handle: NamrataSharmaP)