Resilience through compassion

Imlisanen Jamir
 

The past couple of months and the coming days are unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes as the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to test our strength as individuals and as a community.

Have we found a “new normal”? How disrupted is our life right now? How worried are we about the future?

The past months have been filled with confusion and fear, and despite the lockdown relaxations due to Nagaland being declared a green zone, there is no space for letting our guards down. Such is the nature of this pandemic.

In this milieu of fear and uncertainty, it is normal and in fact necessary to point out the discrepancies, the failures which we as individuals or as States have been guilty of. The failures have been many, and on top of that, not everyone is responding to this crisis with compassion or common sense. 

This pandemic in Nagaland has exposed the structural facilities of our State apparatus. It has hopefully acted as a catalyst for the government to adjust their priorities and shown us areas on which truly deserve all our efforts. 

However, a crisis also brings out the very best in people. It can range from the heroic efforts of frontline health care workers and first-responders to the simplest act of thanking someone you’re grateful to and telling them why.

There might not be many reasons to feel cheerful right now. But think about all the people quietly doing what they can to make a difference.

From the sacrifices of frontline workers to civil society and Sate functionaries stepping up to help those in need, these acts of compassion and bravery are uplifting moments in these times. 

The Morung Express has been carrying numerous such stories of people going out of their way to help others. And we will continue to do so because they are reminders that the time when things are at their worst and we’re all suffering together is often the moment we realize just how much we have in common. 

And how much we truly need each other!

The human spirit in Nagaland may at times be down but it is not out. We are a resilient people.

Comments can be sent to imlisanenjamir@gmail.com