Opportunity through Diversity

Coronavirus threatens to become the worst pandemic the world has seen in centuries and has brought a sudden change in the working lives for humans, which is being witnessed by the whole world.

Despite the immense threat, "a positive vision of the future is a great inspiration for a beautiful life" is how Dr. Singh tries to display his perspective at the current situation of Covid-19 through his book.

'Coronavirus- Opportunity through Adversity' is a book dedicated to all of those who are away from their homes and families to serve, mankind, and to the seafarers'. It is written by Binay Singh, the founder and chief executive officer of Singh Marine Management Ltd. and a recognised global expert in growing the Ukrainian Seafarers. He is also an author who has penned down several books like:

'The Art of Maritime Manning: My Insights','Empathy is far more valuable than diamonds', 'Motivate yourself before motivating others', 'Personality versus Attitude'.

Here is an extract from the book being published with requisite permissions

Reconnecting at home

If you live in a part of the world there are occasional tornados, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or other natural disasters, you have likely experienced a situation where you have to do nothing but stay at home for a few days, even a week or two.

Sometimes those shelter-in-place situations are done with a loss of power, meaning not only are you stuck indoors, but you have no air conditioning or heat, no lights, no television, and no Internet. So far we have not had any of those problems around the globe due to the coronavirus, and if

everyone keeps a level head, it should remain that way. Given those luxuries, there is no end to the way we can keep ourselves amused, healthy, and sane during this time of social distancing, no matter how long it takes to resolve.

If you are a traditional family, you have likely gone from having mother and father working and the kids at school to everyone at home all day, every day. The parents might be able to work from home to a degree, or they might work in an industry that is still considered vital,which can put the strain on the other parent, or necessitate hiring childcare, or asking a friend, neighbor, or relative to help shoulder the load of watching the kids and keeping their learning going as best you can while they are out of school during the typical semester. All this extra time together can put a strain on some families because it is a lot more time bunched together than any of them are used to. Seen through the right lens, however, it can also be viewed as an incredible gift, one to be made the most of while it is in season.

Think of your typical Monday through Friday of home life. A family is together at the table for breakfast for maybe 15 minutes before rushing off to various forms of transportation for a ride to school or work. They typically are not all back together until it's time for dinner, perhaps another 30 minutes later in the day. From there it's homework for the kids and chores for the grownups, followed by baths, teeth brushing, and bed for the young ones.

That's only about 45-60 minutes of family time per day. It's these kinds of situations that make parents feel like their kids have grown up in the blink of an eye and makes kids feel like their parents never have any time for them.

Time is the one resource you cannot buy, cannot trade for, cannot get a next-day shipment from Amazon full of it, and can't put in your bank vault for a rainy day. Time is here, and then

it's gone, and if you do not use it correctly, you'll never see it leave. But now, most of us have been given an incredible gift. Time at home where most of the adults and all of the kids no longer have the responsibilities of rushing off to work and school every day. It's an amazing gift that this pandemic has bestowed upon us, and around the world we're seeing people enjoying it in ways they never thought possible.

What are they doing that's so amazing and what can your family do to make the most of your increased time together? Consider any or all of the following.

LISTEN TO MUSIC

Sounds too simple? Your parents or grandparents can probably tell you about the time when this was the great source of all in-home entertainment. With the power of A.I. assistants like Alexa and Google, you can name almost any song that has ever existed and have it played at concert-level quality within a few seconds. Gather the whole family around and have everyone take turns picking a song and listening to it. It's a great way to introduce family members to new kinds of music or for parents to give kids a lesson in what the most popular songs were when they were growing up. Sing along if you've got the pipes for it, or even if you do not. If you aren't careful, a karaoke contest or a dance party is liable to break out.

Music holds the key to many of our fondest memories and most powerful emotions. Embrace it here and now to remember people that you have loved and lost, or to fill your home with happiness and joy. If you have a piano in the home, play it! If someone has musical talents on another instrument or simply by singing, indulge them to share their talents with the whole house.

BREAK OUT THE BOARD GAMES AND THE DECK OF CARDS

Think you've outgrown the fun and excitement of playing Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Uno, or Gin Rummy? You haven't, trust me, you just got too busy for them somewhere along the way. Games bring people together, make us laugh, give us great mental exercise, and teach our kids the fine art of strategy. Even better, it gives our eyes a break from the non-stop staring at TVs, monitors, smartphones, and tablets, and lets us make great eye contact with each other as we make new, fun memories to replace the doom and gloom we see on TV and the Internet (more on that later).

Even if you have just a single deck of cards, you can play 15 different games including a little fun for the older kids, teaching them a bit about Blackjack and Poker. Since families usually don't gamble against each other, make the "wagers" into toothpicks, Hershey's Kisses, or even chores that each member of the house has to do. Sit around the kitchen table for a few hours and try out this simple together time activity to form strong family bonds.

STORYTELLING

Study sociology or any form of history and you'll know that the earliest form of entertainment was storytelling. In tribes all over the world, an elder passed down stories to a new

generation, the best of whom would take over for him or her when they passed away. That person would tell the tribe's greatest stories - their mythology, where they came from, the events that shaped them, the tragedies that devastated them, and everything else that happened along the way. Telling stories in your own home is a great way to connect with one another and practice empathy as well. Parents and grandparents can reflect on their own times - the tough stuff and the fun stuff - and augment those stories with photo albums, videos, or anything else that you have handy to reflect on. Children can learn about their

own ancestry by this method, and get in the fun by telling their own favorite stories of what has happened in their shorter, but no less important, lifespans. No matter your age, you can also journal about the events of today. It might not be the most fun thing in the world to stay inside day after day other than a few stolen moments at the grocery store or walking your dog, but when the threat has passed and things get back to a relative state of normalcy, you will thank yourself for writing down how things were, how they changed, and what was learned. Encourage your children to do likewise as a reminder of what happened when they were young.

CATCHING UP

Unless you are very lucky, your family is likely spread across a city, a region, a country, or even the entire world. There are members you probably have not seen in years, other than checking their omnipresent social media feeds. This is your chance to catch up, reconnect, and be there for relatives who are feeling distant or alone during these trying times. Whether it's using good old-fashioned phones calls, texting, emails, letter writing, or video conferences, take a page from the old TV commercial and "reach out and touch someone."

Yes, you might spend half the time talking about the coronavirus, what's going in the community that your loved one lives in, and what you think will happen next, but eventually you'll get around to really catching up on each other's lives, sharing old memories, laughing, crying, and remembering that family bonds are the strongest of all.

HOME & GARDEN

Your home is your castle. Time to upgrade it! If your working hours are reduced or gone completely for a while, turn your energy towards improving the condition of your home and yard. Surely somewhere in your home there are projects to take on that you are handy enough to handle. It might mean patching a hole in your fence, repainting a room, replacing the weather stripping on the door, or planting new flower beds to add some color to your life.

Most home repair stores are still open as they count as essential businesses, so plan a trip to one for the supplies and vegetation you might need, and turn it into a big project, possibly one the entire family can take part in. Pretty much every project under the sun you might want to take on has an instructional video (or 50) available online at YouTube or another site, so survey your home and yard and find a project that you have been itching to scratch.

READ THE CLASSICS

The local libraries might be off-limits, but there are a number of devices you can use to read as many books, magazines, comics, or graphic novels as you want, many for a substantially reduced price. There are great book websites all over with bucket lists of books everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. Make a goal of reading one per week and see how far you get and what wonderful new worlds you can discover.

MOVIE NIGHT

Whether you have a 4D Ultra High Def in-home theater room or an old 19" Sony sitting on the dresser, nothing transports you out of your current situation like a night out at the movies inside your own home. Pop the popcorn, get everyone's favorite candy and turn the lights down low. Let everyone in the family pick a flick to watch, and strive to watch a couple on Friday night and a couple more on Saturday. Raid your own stash of DVDs or tune into one of the premium movie services like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, or Disney+ to really find some flicks that the whole family will enjoy. Also be aware that with movie theaters closing down during the pandemic, a lot of movies slated to be released this spring are going direct to On Demand access instead, meaning you can see a lot of new movies without having to step foot outside your living room.

LET'S GET PHYSICAL

It's always the first of your New Year's Resolutions to bite the dust. It's the thing you say you would do if you just had the time. Well guess what? It's time for a new set of resolutions and you definitely have all the time you need to get in shape. One of the biggest complaints a lot of people have had around the world during the coronavirus social distancing mandate has been the closure of their gyms, weight rooms, and community physical activity centers. It is inconvenient, but if you need to find an alternative arena for starting or continuing your physical training, you need only look outside. The entire world can be your track, your hiking

trail, and your studio for whatever you might need - cardio, weight training, you name it. If you don't have barbells, use bricks, or stones, or boxes of detergent in a pinch. If you feel concerned about exposure to others by running, walking, or jogging in a public place, find an isolated one, like the English man who raised money while in self-isolation by running the equivalent of a half-marathon on the balcony on his flat. Mankind stayed in shape for thousands of years without the need for bowflexes, rowing machines, and Stairmasters. You can do without those same things for a few months in a pinch.

ENHANCE YOUR BRAIN POWER

The parents I have spoken to since the outbreak are all committed to making sure their children are getting as close to the same education at home that they would be if school were still in session. But the kids aren't the only ones who can be using this time to add to their knowledge base. There are legions of places online to take any sort of class you want, from those that you struggled through in high school and want to try again to the ones that will sharpen your resume for when things get back to normal and you feel like making a career change. Keeping yourself mentally sharp is a great way to not get depressed or melancholy as the crisis continues.

IF YOU CAN'T LEARN, TEACH!

There is something inherent to human nature that prevents us from shutting ourselves off completely from one other. We still seek to bring our contributions to the fight against the virus by whatever means we can.

People everywhere have taken to the Internet to make their presence known in a helpful way. Some offer psychological support, others provide inventive ways of killing time by teaching classes and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) courses. A few gentle souls are even there to offer a conversation partner to those who are stuck alone in isolation.

If you've got a device that records video, you're qualified to teach people how to do something. If you've got an audio recorder and a voice, you're set to record a podcast about anything you want - your expertise in your job field, your favorite music or movie, your own brand of humor, whatever you think people will enjoy listening to.

We benefit from better and more effective means of communication than "the Bard" enjoyed 400 years ago, so we make the best of the situation. The Internet is not only a way for us to come together, but also to share positive messages and stories in this time of distress.