If one were to go by ancient 'wisdom', there is no beginning or end to the circle of life: it is a never-ending spiral. Many religions incorporate this as part of their internal logic, so to speak. I will not give examples of such religions - or any religions, except perhaps the Jedi religion (just kidding) - because it does not behoove me. Far be it from me to hold court for waxing eloquent on religion; I am well away from such concepts.

Instead, I (and I also implore you to) focus on reality. The life we are living, right now. Tough times, without a doubt, full of an invisible threat that has already devastated the lives of many, and continues to strike terror at a pace unmatched by any other virus hitherto, as far as living memory serves. In my three decades of eventful life aboard Spaceship Earth, there were many plagues and natural calamities that thankfully passed me by, and so, all I can do is to be pragmatic in my actions and hope that this one will similarly subside in due time, leaving me and my loved ones unharmed.

To that end, I treat every day as a new start, an auspicious beginning, as cliched as it might seem. Being a cliche does not take away the veracity of a fact; drinking enough water is no less effective just because it's been repeated as the first advice towards a healthy life. And now, the new normal dictates us to increase the care we take of ourselves, via newfangled actions like social distancing.

Almost all cultures place huge emphasis on the 'correct' ways to interact physically with other humans. Again, as with religion, I will eschew naming any, mostly because of my limited experience (though I personally consider myself quite well-traveled, but only within my country) but also for fear of offending others - a hallmark of these touchy times. Anger is quick to boil over, especially when the only action required to vent it is a few strokes on a keypad or a few touches on a touchscreen.

In earlier days ("...when I was a child...", to quote Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb not quite out of context, because the next lyric is "...I had a fever", the symptom of the dreaded coronavirus), the effort of picking up a pen & paper to respond to an article like this one was gargantuan for most of the populace - even for the most well-read and 'vocal' people. Letters to the editors (and less frequently, directly to the author) had succinct opinions, whether of agreement (and high praise) or of disagreement (and subtle vilification). Nowadays, thanks to the ever-expanding universe of the world wide web, I am at the direct receiving end of what you, my dear reader, think.

I would love to know, and discuss, how you are dealing (or have dealt with) the new normal way of life. Let us have a digital conversation that will be etched into silicon transistors far from where you and I sit, yet accessible to all who come across it, no matter where they may be. Share your thoughts, and I will do my best to respond at the earliest, in as constructive a way as I can. Adios, namaste & ciao!