-Brian Mendonça
The last time I got out was on the 20th
March. Even then the COVID-19 scare was palpable and only those who had urgent
work to complete were outdoors.
I realize that we have been at home 10 days now.
But we are stronger for it. It’s unusual to have so much time at home at a
stretch – but you get used to it. A positive attitude is a big help.
I just saw a dubbed video of Mr Bean where the Judo instructor is demonstrating how to fall correctly. Mr Bean is designated
as ‘India’ and the Judo coach is ‘Corona’. Mr. Bean is at first terrified about
being a guinea pig at the demo. But in a swift turn of events (‘Lockdown’) he
manages to outwit the coach. This is after the coach chases him around the mat. ('Social Distancing') Mr.Bean emerges from behind him, fells him, and bundles
him out wrapped inside the mat.
English comedian Rowan Atkinson (born 1955) a.k.a.
Mr Bean is a favourite of mine. His silent British humour in the Mr. Bean
episodes (1990-95) is a class apart. The situations don’t appear contrived and
he always plays the loser. The creativity through which an old video has been allegorized
or used as a trope (symbol /sign) to carry current meanings is remarkable. As
usual, as it is on social media, the creator is unknown.
On the flip side, this time seems as though the May holidays have begun. Of
course if it were actually May we would be travelling, but the fun with the
family at home is just as good. There is time to play cards, scrabble and carom. There is time to help out in the kitchen, do the dishes and sweep the floor.
I am discovering how and where the sunlight falls
on our balconies. I can appreciate the varying intensity of the heat and
sharpness of the light as the sun makes its journey across the blue sky. Yes, there must be poetry in Spring.
The sounds are different now. I even heard someone
practising the flute the other morning. On a request from a friend we recorded a short video of ‘Fear
Not’ - the injunction from Isaiah 41: 10 - being played on the keyboard.
The Urbi et Orbi by Pope Francis on Friday 27th
March at 10.30 p.m. emphasized the severity of the crisis we are facing –
specially in Italy. The Pope likened the world to the disciples in the boat
afraid of the storm. Jesus is sleeping in the boat. But when the disciples wake
him up, all he asks is ‘Why are you afraid? Do you have no faith?’
The live relay in Italian from the atrium of St. Peter's Square reminded me of Thomas Mann's novella Death in Venice (1912), his 'Serenissima' - the historical term for Venice.
The live relay in Italian from the atrium of St. Peter's Square reminded me of Thomas Mann's novella Death in Venice (1912), his 'Serenissima' - the historical term for Venice.
The Urbi et Orbi means ‘For the city of Rome and
for the entire world.’ The phrase is significant when one understands that the Vatican
is a country by itself located within the city of Rome. It was created in 1929
through the Lateran Treaty, between Italy and the Holy See.
In addition to the Pope’s extraordinary blessing,
the 10 days has also meant a deepening of faith. With the hearing of daily Mass
on TV with the family usually before lunch and rosary with the family at eventide, one
finds a logic to the quarantine which is a period of forty days of Lent from
the Italian ‘quaresima.’
Keeping a day-to-day schedule of tasks to be completed during
the lockdown, keeps the mind alive. This is a great time to clear up the backlog and use the downtime to do the things one has wanted to do but
never had the time. It gives you a feeling of achievement. It is important to always be busy doing something -- that is, when you are not lining up to procure your provisions or taking out the garbage.
--------------------------------------------------------------Pic courtesy podiumrunner(dot)com
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