It has become clear fairly quickly that people are trying to find ways on how not to be bored. Now they have 24 hours in their 24-hour day to spend with their family/housemates trying to be productive. We see that boredom then ensues, reaching its maximum limit from March 29 - April 4 of 2020, when people have become comfortable in their homes, have done their spring cleaning and have stocked up on everything they can afford. This may be due to two major reasons - panic buying and panic attacks - both equally harmful on a macro and micro scale respectively. Panic hits its peak from March 15–21 of this year, right around the time that countries announced major restrictive policies due to the spread of COVID -19 (India announced a lockdown on 24th March). This is a Google Trend Analysis that depicts the number of searches done for the two words, “panic” and “bored” over the last 12 months, worldwide.

So, what is this term - the new normal? In hindsight, what is the old normal? Is this new normal here to stay, or just a contingency plan to fill in the void we are currently living in? This pandemic has provided us with the unique opportunity of re-defining this new normal, and finding an entrepreneurial market amidst the chaos. The latest event in this calamity chronology is this global pandemic that has turned countless lives upside down, just by the shake of a hand or an unintentional pat on the back. 2020 has thrown a disproportionate number tragedies our way (and it’s only April) - be it the Australian bushfires, Indonesian floods, Puerto Rican earthquake, or the untimely death of basketball icon Kobe Bryant (and his prodigy daughter Gianna). Our vocabulary is flourishing too - new acronyms such as COVID-19, WFH, PPE, are now becoming common household terms - and more recently the label of the new normal. And although we are all restricted to our houses, this spring of creativity invites us to feel less like confined individuals and more like connected communities. Musicians are putting up balcony concerts for their neighbours and police officers are turning into street performers. Families are being kept apart by no travel policies, yet initiatives and ideas are blossoming. This new show you are watching is one you cannot predict at all. If anything, it’s more like your show has ended, and a new one has begun. No 2,923,191 confirmed cases, 203,308 unfortunate deaths or a pandemic disease reported in 210 countries.

However long you pause for, no new developments take place. But is this really a pause? A pause would imply that we would restart right from where we left off - just like when you pause Schitt’s Creek as Alexis makes a disgusted face - she says “ Ew, David” when you come back with your snacks and press play. No more physical meetings or social recreation. Many people refer to this period we are going through as a pause - a standstill to their work routines and their extravagant night outs on the weekend.

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