Things get more challenging when your screen is your only port to the outside world; and when you cannot go anywhere. But at the same time, you can use your computer to get connected with everything. Despite that, you would lose the ability to communicate your thoughts and feelings, and that makes communication difficult. Particularly in these circumstances, which are full of confusion and tension.
The advice of human development specialists is exhausting, dull and extremely unrealistic. For me, I am no longer following either this advice or the news about Corona because it increases unnecessary stress and anxiety. Especially some doctors advise us to stay away from everything that causes panic, which would negatively affect our immunity.
There are several options for entertainment, such as movies. We have seen most of them, but still there is more time ahead of us. I practiced sport for a whole week then stopped. The house tasks are endless. We help each other to finish them, yet there will be some dishes in the evening waiting for someone to wash them the next day. We sanitized every corner in the house, rearranged the furniture, and disposed of three bags of stuff we no longer need.
We remember our very recent past with some nostalgia when we used to easily leave our houses, warmly greet each other and walk in the crowd without any fear. This is all in the past.
Playing video games is a good option for entertainment and filling our time. But at the same time, it increases isolation and causes a kind of addiction that may remain after the end of the quarantine and can affect other activities such as work and study. So I was trying to replace it with meditation because my house overlooks a mountain covered with plants. Although meditation is my hobby, I was having trouble adapting to the new situation because I was used to meditating in nature.
Reading is another good alternative, but it gets us tired when we do not have any other way to pass our time. I read a motivational book by Spencer Johnson called “Who Moved My Cheese?” and published in 1998. This allegorical tale describes the change that occurs in people's lives and careers. It depicts four usual reactions towards change through the journey of two dwarves and mice searching for the cheese in a maze. I also read the book "Power of Self-Control" by Ibrahim Al-Feki. This book helps us restore our psychological balance in such circumstances. In this book, the author talks about the causes of human behaviors and divides them into four sections: talking to the self, belief, point of view of events, and emotions. The last book I read was “The Prince” which is a political treatise by Niccolò Machiavelli in 1513.
"The winter night is long" but days in quarantine are longer. I had this feeling throughout the quarantine. Hence my friend and I decided to break the boredom and routine and create some positivity by doing an agricultural activity and taking advantage of the abandoned areas. We started planting on one of the roofs of our buildings. It was not easy but our passion for this made it enjoyable. So we brought soil to the roof, four floors up, and searched for a place to buy seeds and planted "basil". This herb is multi-purpose: we can either use it in food like "Kebbe" or enjoy its beautiful aroma.
I also started learning new skills online, such as improving my foreign languages like English and French. Many platforms offer courses free of charge for those interested in attending, including the Arabic platform "Edraak” and “Rwaq", the international platform "Coursera", and the two companies "Google" and "Microsoft". So I took some courses in languages and mathematics in addition to my university studies which are online. Yes, internet platforms are the only way.
Despite all the things you can do at home, staying home for a long time will eventually depress you. So I've always kept myself busy, either by helping my family or talking with my friends. I was also following updates about doctors, the heroes of this time who are striving to find a vaccine for the virus. They risk their lives to save the lives of others. What makes me more optimistic is the initiatives around us. I can say for sure that social solidarity is what makes us overcome the crisis in Lebanon. In one of those initiatives, people donate the surplus and volunteers help in delivering the donations to people in need. Those were individual initiatives, and they revived hope and cooperation among us. I volunteered in one of the initiatives, which was organized by a local NGO, to spread instructions for preventing COVID19 and benefiting from the quarantine by activities that parents can do with their children.
In conclusion, some simple steps turn this crisis into an opportunity. It helped us to gather with our families, develop our skills, strengthen social relations, make use of social media to strengthen our relationships with people, in addition to other beneficial activities we can do. All of this can make you a different person, a much better person, so always look at the full half of the glass.
Abdulkarem Janki, 22, student, Syrian living in Al Qobbeh-Tripoli North Lebanon