Many of us have been talking about the negative impact of the ongoing situation.
The loud sounds from drones, interceptors, sirens and phone alerts; the mental health impact of the uncertainty that looms over us; the emotional toll of not having a routine especially for those who are working from home…and the list goes on.
While all of these are valid and must be addressed, I want to focus on the silver linings – what the war has opened up my eyes to.
I have started living more mindfully because I now realise that nothing is guaranteed and that life can change in a matter of seconds; a month ago, we were going about our lives as always before we were not!
I am grateful for my job more than ever now because it keeps me sane and gives me something to look forward to everyday.
Suddenly, I have begun viewing my relationships in a different light – family, friends and yes, even those annoying colleagues.
We are social animals and that is something we fully realise when we are facing a threat.
I have started doing more of the things that I love.
Whether it is reading, cooking, walking, singing, dancing…I am seeing so many poems published in newspapers and on social media channels.
The last time this happened was during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Why does it take an epidemic or war for us to pursue art or the ‘softer’ things that nourish our soul?
That is something to think about.
I would like to add here that some of this poetry and dance that I have been seeing online is terrible.
However, people are still doing it.
Why do we not do this during other times? Gone are the days when hobbies were mentioned on resumes.
These days it is side hustles and passion projects.
We want to monetise everything.
We want to do only those things that we can excel at.
What happened to being awful at something but doing it anyway, just because?
The regional tensions are a brutal yet important reminder that life is too short to be perfect.
It is the imperfections that keep us going.
Whether it is our health, career, relationships, or ourselves – nothing is perfect.
But growing through these imperfections is what gives meaning to life.
It gives us something to look forward to each day.
We can never know the light without the darkness.
Similarly, we can never derive joy from achievement without knowing failure or we can never know the joys of true connection without knowing the pain of rejection.
It has been a whole month since the attacks.
We hope peace prevails. It will.
Meanwhile, why not focus on what is.
Why not change our perspective.
Let us look at this current situation as an opportunity to embrace the important things in life that we might have ignored or overseen earlier.
I also want to thank the authorities in Bahrain who are doing such a stellar job of protecting us and guiding us through this unprecedented time.
We are able to rest and focus on the positives because of you.
May God bless us all.
A student of life
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