Pandemic COVID-19: Is iT a Call for Renewal

by Dan Man

 

 

Strange Times of a Pandemic called Covid-19

What the heck just happened? How do we all come to this event which changed almost everything, who did it, an act of Nature’s wrath on humankind, or dirty & ugliest conspiracy to control by the elite and the ruling lobby? Whatever it is in this strange time of uncertainty are you fretting about what may come next, financial calamity or worse, or are you regretting choices you've made in the past which brought you to where you are now?

If you are fretting or regretting, you are missing the opportunity.

 

The Moment of Thought during an invisible Pandemic

This very moment - now - is a gift. We've been given the privilege and the opportunity to explore and experience, learn and grow, create and contribute. We have now been given the gift of making a monumental choice.

What are you making of your gift, your talents, your intellect, your wisdom?

Now is always an opportunity; an opportunity to become a better version of ourselves, or an opportunity to resist. "Resist what?" you might ask. Resist life cajoling us to become all we are meant to be.

 

Speaking for myself, God is standing by my side, guiding, guarding and feeding me, and holding me aloft in times of trouble, and yet still, after years & years I fail to heed the quiet and persistent call - guidance offering me peace and love and joy. Instead I resist. Can't do that; that would make me look like a fool. Can't do that; that would take too much effort. Can't do that; that is beneath me. Can't do that; and a million and one other excuses. There's always tomorrow...

Until there isn't.

 

 

Now or Never: Time to search for truth

In terms of a lifetime. Yes we have this moment, but what we are really looking forward to and waiting for is that fantastical moment in the hopefully not too distant future when all the stars align, all the ducks are in a row, and we finally arrive to our glory. Thinking of this perfection fantasy; it seems more like a description of our final passing then of some likely reality. Perfect is what life is; not what we are waiting for. The challenge of living is not changing life; the challenge we took on and are immersed in is changing our own selves. We must learn to live in, love and embrace the opportunity in each & every moment.

So, what should I do now, in this moment?

Covid-19 Pandemic has a Message for You

 

  

 

 

Covid-19 Pandemic is a message so powerful and so pervasive - for us and for the world - it seems impossible to ignore.

So 'Are we listening’? Are we going to see the opportunity? And are we going to make the right choice?'

We all have an opportunity before us; and so do we. In every moment the opportunity is to choose: to set our emotional state - & determine our course and act.

Covid-19 is upending lives all around the world and for what purpose?

It's a call for us to reconsider our priorities and determine what really matters. It's an opportunity for me and you, and perhaps ultimately all of us to change direction. Covid-19 is a call for a substantial course correction; a great reset. Are we going to heed the call?

Making a prediction is really difficult, especially about the future, but I'm going to speculate: the future we experience as individuals, families, communities and nations will depend on the choices we make here and now - in this moment.

Post Pandemic World: Will we allow them to take from Us

Change is hard and sometimes painful. But change can also be beautiful and joyful and magnificent. Are we going to resist and shrink from the health, financial and economic challenges before us or are we going to embrace this opportunity to usher in a new and better experience? People are dying because of Covid-19. The world economy is at risk of imploding. People are huddled in their homes. Many are fearful and afraid. But Covid-19 is not an emissary of destruction; it's a call to renewal.

The Covid-19 crisis is a plea for us to replace the "every-man-for-himself" philosophy dominating society with a mutually connected, interdependent and supportive culture. Covid-19 is a call for us to unite.

Will we heed the call?

Now is an opportunity for the great reset - a reset of the world. That sounds like a daunting task. It is. So remember this:

"If I change myself the world changes. The great reset - in this moment of crisis - starts with me."

Final Thought on this Covid-19 Pandemic Situation & Aftermath

 

Who are we? How are we here? Why are we here? So easily things can turn upside down and our belongings and values snatched from us as if a candy is taken away from a baby. This negates whatever might we all thought we had, all we can do is just adapt, learn, seek the truth and be a better person than we were yesterday and to unite not to be controlled but for each other. The tyranical forces may try to control in the most subtle of ways but the One above the skies & every creation is ever Merciful & Bountiful. So the question is will we seek what is the truth or remain in the shadows of illusion surrounding us and become the social zombies.

 

 

 

 

Surviving the Covid-19 Pandemic & the Lockdown Effect

by HD

 

Social distancing rules the world for now as the lockdown is in full effect throughout the globe. All non-essential travel and public gatherings have come to a halt amidst the fear of the Covid-19 pandemic. People can only leave home to shop for essential items, for attending medical care, or when their work cannot be done at home. Being top of each other in the house is a real challenge. We're stuck inside our homes, forced to spend more time together than ever before. We don't have to be confined to a small family dwelling, with no garden to escape to, to feel the strain of lockdown.

The strain of lockdown can exacerbate already difficult relationships as signs of family disharmony include negative low mood, emotional outbursts, resentment, and feelings of frustration. Here is how to cope with today’s difficult circumstances & how to adapt during the lockdown.

 

Handling kids during pandemic lockdown

Children can provide family life with wonderful moments. Their spontaneity and sense of fun can brighten the day. But almost out of the blue, squabbling, shouting or crying can break out and they can be a bit of a pain. They seem to be noisier, more untidy and more demanding than ever we expected. What they want can be different from what we want, testing our limits and boundaries.

Toleration and patience is called for and before over-reacting just relax & take few deep breaths. Also the ability to say 'no' firmly and consistently without undue fuss and guilt is important. Where to draw the line may need negotiating before hand with the children's other parent so they don't learn to play one parent off against the other. To accept authority, children need to be told firmly & authoritatively the reasons why they can't have what they want and above all they will need support and encouragement to explore new healthy hobbies.

Handling yourself during Lockdown

 

I suppose it is natural for you to feel irritated if a family member snaps at you. Not so much what they say but how they say it. They may raise their voice when this is uncalled for. And if there have been several angry outbursts lately, we probably would get cross ourselves, which of course makes things worse. Now both of you think how unfair the other is being. Resentment can fester for a while and add to disquiet. We can end up imagining getting our own back on each other.

Keep your mind engaged on a suitable indoor activity or a hobby; get to learn new skills and stuff, practice meditation. Now is the best time to engage & learn meditation, do light workout, read legendary & heroic tales & stories, or watch epic movies with morality & heroism, learn to be aware of your thoughts and control them. Above all never take any matter to extreme always practice with modesty and calmness. And take care of each other and your family members so as to support and please.

Being mindful of the lockdown

One needs to lower the tension somehow. Not raising it by trying to even the score. Not making things worse by getting our own back on someone. The challenge is to keep our head and to notice resentful thoughts and not to engage them. Part of you wants to blame someone when things are not right. But rather than act on this, we can learn to observe this inner rush to be judgmental. We can be more mindful of not only our own natural reactions, but those of others around us and to do this with an awareness of the bigger picture.

 

Tension of lockdown & assertion

The result might be to remain silent when someone is having a go at us. Perhaps wait for a more opportune moment when they are ready to listen. It is possible to resolve a disagreement later then to calmly assert our own viewpoint.

Those with assertion skills can put forward their point of view showing respect, neither interrupting nor speaking unnecessarily loudly. Without insisting one is right and the other person is wrong, however certain one might feel. This approach may involve being willing to negotiate some sort of compromise.

Collaboration with the person who has offended you might be a possibility. Each need to be willing to explore what had happened between them and to reflect on where things went wrong. How the tension could have been avoided. There might be an underlying issue that can be addressed. A solution to the problem might please both of you and them and go beyond what each of you had wanted in the first place.

Your partner's needs during Lockdown

 

Couples in lockdown will be thrown together for much of the time. A real test of love to survive this rough time of lockdown strain, the partners need to even better learn than they had previously, how to get on.

This includes being willing to consider and even prioritize each other's needs. Your partner may need to talk and be heard. May need practical help now in what they are doing or will need an equal share in decision making. And will need your forgiveness for any mistakes or wrong-doing.

Be forgiving during these harsh times

 

Usually it is easier to let bygones be bygones when the person who has done us wrong is genuinely sorry. But more difficult to 'forgive and forget' if they show less than complete remorse for what they have done. Likewise if only partly appreciating the hurt they have caused us.

 

To remove our resentment we could try recalling a time when we had done something bad ourselves to them. No one is perfect and if they were lenient with us then it makes it easier for us now.

Another tip is to consider what worldly or selfish desire in you that have been thwarted by the other person and reconsider its importance. Pride been wounded? Well what's so bad about a little humility? Time wasted by someone? Never mind there is plenty of time left in life to make up what was lost.

 

Hope for better future

The current pandemic is a big challenge for many people. But if we can better learn to live well under the constraint of the strain of lockdown then perhaps we will have a better quality of family life afterwards.

 

RESIDENT EVIL: The BIG DADDY of Horror Games

by HD

 

 

 

 

Resident Evil or should I say 'President Evil', is indeed the President of the horror gaming..!

 

 

          
  

The original Resident Evil game also known as the Biohazard can easily be called the dad of modern day horror video games, created and released in 1996 by video game giant Capcom very well known for the legendary Street Fighter series.    

Resident Evil back then introduced a whole new genre of 3D survival horror video games and inspired a number of such horror games and also movies along with its own list of great game sequels, the Silent Hill horror game series which was also a great success, the Resident Evil movie series starring the fit babe Milla Jovovich and a bunch of other zombie horror movies.

The Scary Atmosphere of Resident Evil

Being one of a kind the game ‘Resident Evil’ successfully incorporated into it the scare factor and the chilling experience with a great plot, interesting story, scary gaming atmosphere, sounds, effects and background music, it brought up a unique horror gaming formula which was then successfully implemented in later sequels. 

         

In the game-play the player’s character is a special task force member trapped in a huge mysterious mansion infested with creatures as if transported from the pits of the Netherworld itself but in fact are mutated monsters and infected zombies ready to eat you up, the player has to fight through and escape the puzzled mansion with all its hostilities alive with an arsenal of weapons and items available within the creepy mansion. 

      

      

The Protagonists of Resident Evil

 

There are two main protagonist characters for the player, Chris Redfield the tough and fearless young man of the special task force in the game called Special Tactics And Rescue Service or simply S.T.A.R.S and the other is Jill Valentine a hot looking resourceful girl of the same special task force both characters later became huge fan favorites and also made an appearance in the Resident Evil movie series. Although the graphics of the game is nowhere near to the games of today but back then people were not accustomed to such advanced graphics and the game enjoyed much success and was a best seller of its time. The game was originally released on Playstation One and then on Sega Saturn and PC, and years later an improved remake was also launched on Nintendo GameCube to relive the thrilling experience on an advanced console.

Most recently the game has been re-mastered for the fans to enjoy better graphics and game-play, & to relive the legend of the creepy mansion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside the creepshow of the Mansion the origin of Resident Evil

 

 

RESIDENT EVIL SYNOPSIS:

An elite team of special task force of the Raccoon City police department known as Special Tactics And Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S) launches an operation in a mountainous facility for its mischievous and mysterious activities and to rescue their colleagues who disappeared on the last operation.

 

As soon as the team arrives they find no survivors from amongst the previous team but only body parts and then while searching they are attacked by mutated dogs killing one of their colleague while their helicopter pilot panics and flew off, the surviving team members including Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Albert Wesker and Barry Burton then take refuge in a huge mansion facility in the mountainous region and gets separated. 

 

 

 

The protagonist either Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield as a player then try to solve the mystery of the mansion, with creepy zombies and mutated creatures lurking in the mansion, the protagonist discovers the colleagues to be rescued either dying or already dead, going through different riddles to move ahead as the isolated mansion is full of puzzles like a huge decorated maze.

It is revealed that the mansion is a research facility for a biomedical firm known as Umbrella Corporation involved in illegal biological experiments, the horror surrounding is due to an outbreak of the T-virus a mutagenic developed within the facility which converted the life-forms including the mansion’s working staff into infected monsters and zombies.

 

 

In the mad world of Resident Evil, the protagonists fights their way deep into the facility they found that one of their team member Albert Wesker to be a double agent working for the Umbrella Corporation being highly ambitious and cunning Albert Wesker is more than responsible for this havoc which fell upon the S.T.A.R.S members, the protagonist progresses until it comes down to the final showdown with a powerful monster known as Tyrant a bio-weapon experiment, who terminates the unsuspecting cocky traitor Albert Wesker and comes after the heroes, after defeating the Tyrant, the heroes along with the few surviving team members are rescued by their helicopter on the heliport of the facility and successfully escapes the dreaded mansion.

 

Resident Evil: ‘Fiction vs Reality’ or Similarity

The heroes of the resident evil universe were concerned whether this virus would breakout from the underground facility & effect the world which exactly what happened while we progress in the story of 'Resident Evil' in sequels and the T-virus becomes a pandemic followed by many waves of other disastrous pandemic. Are we living in the similar times or is there any similarity between this fictional world and the world of our own? It's up to you to decide !