Everyone in the whole world is suffering from the pandemic of COVID-19. Still, we must overcome the present difficulties, and plan for the future keeping our hope and dreams. We are doing our best to protect ourselves from COVID-19. Some are in quarantine and some are in the hospital. Many are suffering from livelihood issues. Still others are suffering from the sense of isolation and uncertainty. Psychological problems referred to as ‘corona blue’ or ‘corona red’ are not uncommon to be found in everyday life. Being in quarantine results in involuntary severance from human relationships. Of course, some people stay being selfish pursuing only their own self-happiness without considering the damage they may be inflicting upon others. But, most people are enduring hardship for the future when everyone will be happy together again.
What can we do to wisely overcome the difficulties caused by the pandemic? Many people think that everything will go back to normal only if the pandemic is over. We are anxiously yearning for the end of the pandemic. However, we must do more than just waiting. We must come up with ideas about not only how to cope with the situation but also how not to lose hope since we don’t want to go into despair before the situation is over.
The first thing you must do is to accurately analyze the circumstances you are in, and directly face the present situation. With what problems are you having the most difficulties? Is it quarantine, economy, or psychology? The judgment must be based on your own standards not other people’s. Once you accurately analyze reasons for your difficulties, you may discover your desire for overcoming the difficulties. The more difficulties you have, the stronger desire for overcoming the difficulties you will have, which in turn may lead to blaming yourself or others. Forming a vicious cycle, the more you blame yourself or others, the stronger the desire becomes and the more you feel the difficulties. Still, the problems in real life has not been solved at all.
It is a battle with yourself. The stronger your desire becomes, the more chances for falling into temptations you may be exposed to. It is because you can be led to believe the temptations as real when you cannot accurately judge situations due to your expanded desire. For example, people suffering from economic difficulties may easily fall for a fraudulent scheme that make you believe you can make a fortune in a short time. Then, many people will try to take advantage of you, and you may even end up losing what you already have. People easily fall for things they did not used to do when they are in difficult situations. When situations are difficult, people easily lose the concept of living together focusing only on one’s own desire.
To prevent damaging yourself and others, it is imperative that you accurately analyze what types of desire you have and how it has developed and accurately understand what situations you are in. The most important thing to do is to protect what you already have. Many people think that they do not have anything, but we all have somethings. Most importantly, we are alive and have our life. Above all, it is crucial that you should not fall for temptations and should not damage yourself in any way.
Also, you should guard yourself against being dependent on other people. When people have a great desire and get some help that satisfies their desire, they tend to become easily dependent. Dependence is not coping or overcoming. Once you become used to dependence, you may have to keep putting yourself in difficult situations when you cannot not have help from outside. When dependence continues, you may even justify your dependence thinking that it is your right. Making yourself become dependent on external help equals to depriving yourself of the right for happiness in the future. When you cannot adequately cope with the situations of pandemic, you may still have difficulties even after the pandemic is over, since you will not have your own hope and not pursue your own future. dependence will lead you to renunciation and despair. Then, what can we do not to become dependent keeping our own hope and dreams in the time of the pandemic?
Firstly, we must stay vigilant against temptation and dependence. Secondly, we must make plans on what to do after the pandemic is over. We must set goals and think about human relationships related with the goals. We must keep relating with people in available ways until the pandemic is over. Thirdly, we must consolidate relationships with close people including family and friends. We must keep communicating with close people and having conversations. When one family member falls for dependence, temptation, and despair, the rest of the family members suffer from the consequences. Each one needs to keep their own hope and dreams, and must support and encourage others. Fourthly, we must try to take the time of hardship as the time of opportunity. You may be able to replace your negative ideas with positive ones by making future plans gathering up your own and others’ experiences and knowledge.
