Professor Dr. Suvamoy Datta :
Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid -19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei province, and has since spread globally. Common symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.Other symptoms may include muscle pain, sputum production, diarrhea, sore throat, loss of smell, and abdominal pain. While the majority of the cases result in mild symptoms such as viral pneumonia and multi-organ failure. World battles with this type of pandemic about more than hundred years ago when plague broke out and Swami Vivekananda wrote a unique advisory called the Plague Manifesto where he emphasized on not panicking, maintaining personal hygiene and boosting immunity to keep the plague at bay; almost the same practices emphasized by public health experts to battle present Covid -19situation.
The Covid -19 pandemic is an unprecedented global event, wherephysical distancing and other restrictions imposed by national and local governments all over the world to control the spread of the virus almost certainly had a significant impact on young people, who are more sensitive to peer interaction and social stimuli than adults. The global health crisis caused by the spread of Covid -19 has led to measures being taken to contain the transmission of the new variantslike Delta and Omicron.
The Covid -19 pandemic has changed in lifestyles all over the world in 2020, profoundly altering our daily lives. It broke out in China in December 2019 and it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. In order to control the spread of the virus, quarantines and lockdowns were implemented in many countries. Vaccination programs were initiated in January 2021; while on the other hand, the constant mutation of the virus is threatening human lives more seriously. Covid -19 has spread in different places, national and regional governments have used lockdowns as a preventive measure and established social distancing rules that have restricted socializing, business and school life. The multidimensional effects of these practices have important and worldwide effects on psychological health, social relations and economics. Studies in a variety of disciplines have described economic fluctuations due to Covid -19 and lockdowns in different countries, as well as their effects on health-care workers, mental health, education and personal affairs.
Covid-19 has effects on individuals, communities, organizations, governments, housing, workplaces, neighborhoods and public places. The socio-economic implications of Covid -19 including: urban dynamics during and after Covid -19, the socio-economic implications of social distancing measures, and the requirements of new environments to accommodate emerging living and work patterns. The utility and design of homes affect daily life much more than they did before the pandemic, and needs to be reevaluated and designed for changing needs. It is still uncertain to return to the ‘normal’ pre-pandemic lifestyle, disasters are a concrete part of life. So, it is very important to determine lifestyle trendsduring Covid -19 pandemic and should be changed with healthy diet, improving mental health, maintaining sound sleep, taking regular exercise and yoga that enhance physical and mental strength to fight with infectious disease like Covid -19.
Swami Vivekananda perfectly mentioned” Strength is life, weakness is death “-Powerful people are able to do as requirements and considered morally right because of their strength only. They enjoy life as they are physically, mentally, socially and emotionally strong. So, it is rightly said that ‘Strength is Life’. On the other hand, the weak have no place in the world and weakness leads to all kinds of miseries. The weak-minded people do not possess strong will power. So, they cannot even dream of accomplishing great tasks and there is no doubt that ‘Weakness is Death’ Today, many people are weak-minded because in many cases, our parents, teachers, and friends told us in the early years of life, “See, if you do not do this or that, something untoward may happen to you”. So, such teaching instructions are deep-rooted in us even today which have made us mentally so weak to initiate any adventurous good work. Therefore, Swami Vivekananda said, let positive and strong thoughts enter into your brains from childhood.” It is a great fact that strength is life and weakness is continuous strain and misery, and in other words, it is death.
Swami Vivekananda urged people to join forces with positive attitude to life that can boost up immunity to make strong against infectious diseases, requested them not to panic due to unfounded fear and urging them to “live pure and clean lives” and advised them to keep their house and adjoining premises clean along with things of their daily use. “Always keep the house and its premises, the rooms, clothes, bed and drain clean,” that are the basic tasks that we are maintaining to prevent Covid -19 pandemic. Swamiji also pointed out that weak health makes one more vulnerable to diseaseso, should not eat “stale, spoiled food” and have a “fresh and nutritious” diet. He also tried to dispel several rumors regarding plague at that time such the colonial British Government will vaccinate everyone by force and Swamiji clarified that only those who are willing will be vaccinated.
The overall consistent positive influence of increased interpersonal relationships on health perceptions and adopted lifestyle behaviors during the pandemic is the key real-time factor. Favorable behavioral changes should be improved through regular virtual interpersonal interactions, particularly in countries with an overall middle-aged or older population. Further, controlling the fear response of the public through counseling could also help improve health perceptions and lifestyle behavior. However, the observed human behavior needs to be viewed within the purview of cultural disparities, self-perceptions, demographic variances, and the influence of countrywise phase variations of the pandemic. Prevention is always better than cure, and in order to maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle during this unprecedented time, people need to normalize yoga and meditations, selection of healthy foods and sufficient rest as daily practices beneath the stigmas, and need to normalize asking for professional assistance which has become even more available nowadays. Our proactive stance during the Covid-19 pandemic is an example of Swamiji’s approach of not feeling helpless in a crisis and try to be strong both physically and mentally to fight against the crisis. So, Swamiji perfectly mentioned, Arise! Awake! and stop not until the goal is reached.
(Professor Dr. Suvamoy Datta, Dean, School of Science, Primeasia University, Dhaka & Vice President, Vivekananda Shikha O Sangskriti Parishad, Bangladesh)
