In May, I had to spend two weeks in the ICU after becoming a victim of Covid19. The corona virus severely destroyed 98% of my lungs. The High Definition Oxygen Machine kept me alive. Dozens of injections were administered daily and round-the-clock monitoring was done by senior doctors. Whenever I got my mobile for a while, I used to check my social media to get in touch with friends and family, that too through messages or videos only. I was unable to speak, because a heavy mask was put on his face. During the second wave of Covid, a large number of deaths took place in the hospitals. My daughter’s message was that ‘’Daddy Corona is a mind game. It affects the mind, so always think positive.” Taking this advice as a life mantra, I maintained a positive mental attitude and returned alive. It took me six months to recover. I am well now.
Even when I came back home after one and a half months from the hospital, this mantra made me think that why only Corona, our life itself is a mind game. One who has learned to balance life, s/he is able to remain successful, happy and satisfied. I read somewhere recently that one should focus on developing mental balance and emotional intelligence. Life is often divided into two parts. The first part is about learning and acquiring knowledge, and in the second part comes the occupation. While learning, a person creates his identity and develops professional skills, then uses those skills to live the life. During this time a person earns money and is able to give back something useful to the society. However, this traditional model is going to become obsolete in the coming times.
Renowned author Yuval Noah Harari says that in future, the only way for humans to survive in the game of life will be to keep learning throughout life and to reinvent themselves again and again. Even at the age of 50 one has to change frequently. Change brings stress and after a certain age most people do not like changes. But in the 21st century, you won’t get the advantage of stability. If you want any kind of stability, you will be left behind and the world will move ahead. Olympic marathoner Eliud Kipchoge says running is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. Running is also a mind game, which requires discipline.
Those who are unable to maintain a mental balance, sometimes even commit suicide due to despair. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in the year 2020, more than 1.5 lakh people committed suicide in India, of which 67% were in the age group of 18 to 45 years. Most of them were below the age of 30 years. According to the report of the Institute of Health Matrix and Evaluation, the trend is just the opposite in the rest of the world, where people above 70 years commit suicide more. USA and Russia have more suicides cases than India. Talking about the methods of suicide, 58% people committed suicide by hanging, while the number of people who died by poisoning abroad remains high.
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Narvijay Yadav is a Senior Journalist and Columnist.
Email: narvijayindia@gmail.com
