Surviving the Pandemic: Resilience and Hope

How resilient can we be when facing tough challenges like the pandemic?

Several stories of resilience and hope inspire us daily for those facing their greatest battle. It's when people have the fighting spirit and the will to live that makes them a survivor. They survive and thrive.

To be a survivor of this pandemic isn't about social and economic status. It's not about the healthiest body and the highest intelligence. To be a survivor is about our resilience to different struggles and miseries. It's about faith and hope amidst difficulty and sorrow. 

When life presents a bitter taste of suffering, then no one is spared. We all share the same fears, doubts, and uncertainties. We share daily life struggles and negative emotions.

But when shall we suffer? Until when shall we continue to fight? Until when shall we survive? 

This pandemic makes us find time to ponder our life. If we have limited time to live and survive, how can we live our best life? If we die tomorrow, what are the good things we can do today? 

©️ 2021 Del Cusay

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Pandemic

What's that one thing you regret not doing before the Pandemic hit?

Is it about all work and no play? No travels? Does it have enough money? Is it about being cold and unable to extend a hand and give a warm embrace? 

What about your fitness goals? That dream job abroad? Or perhaps your dream house, 

dream car and the dream wedding?

This Pandemic brought chaos and lousy energy into our lives. It has caused anxiety, fear, apathy, and grief. It killed our dreams and highest hopes. It made a lot of people hopeless and helpless. It made us believe that life is short and could suddenly be gone.

However, this Pandemic isn't just about the negativity it brings. But it has also unleashed the best in us. It has tested our resilience and faith. It made us more kind and understanding. It taught us the value of a good relationship. It has made us realize that money is not everything. And it helped us ponder on our existence and life purpose.

What's the ugly side and the bitter truth this Pandemic brings? We cannot understand the nature of suffering. Our inability to prioritize what's essential versus what's unwanted. Our failure to see others' worth and even our worth.

The saddest truth is when the invisible enemy turns out to be our blind spots. Our inability to spot our weaknesses. Our failure to unleash our hidden powers and energy. After all these years, we're still stuck with the false beliefs of our society and the influence of the majority. 

The good, the bad, and the ugly taste what we are and what we give out to this world. We may never know when this Pandemic will end, but it's not the end yet to make a restart, a new beginning, so we'll have a happy ending. 

©️ 2021 Del Cusay

Patan Durbar Square and the Royal City

I've never seen such a magnificent old city as Patan Durbar Square, located about eight kilometers south of Kathmandu.

Patan, the old name of the present-day Lalitpur, is considered the third-largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara.

While the old city of Patan offers a nostalgic tour of its royal past, there's one place to visit, learn and appreciate -- the Patan Durbar Square.

I'm lucky to have visited one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The other two Durbar Squares are in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, but I needed help to visit them.

But then, as I entered Patan Durbar Square, I could feel it had a rich cultural past and the most magnificent royal palace worth visiting.

It has 155 courtyards and 55 major temples significant to Hindus and Buddhists. I was able to get inside one of the main temples and had a great appreciation of architecture and the arts.

Patan is a city of fine arts. And the marvelous architectures are reminiscent of how skills are ingrained in their culture, preserved, and passed on to the next generations. Their craftsmanship is superb and brilliant as they create wood, stone, and metal carvings. 

Patan has preserved its rich tradition of artistic craftsmanship from the local woodcarvers and handicraft makers. From the time of Royal King Newar, creative skills still live on. 

I was fortunate to have visited Patan Durbar Square in 2013 before it was hit by a strong earthquake in April 2015. Some of the temples and structures were heavily damaged. The good thing is that it was reconstructed just like the original structure.

Patan Durbar Square is a truly unforgettable experience. Walking on the red-tiled bricks while staring at the red wall bricks was like a teleport to the old days of fine arts and excellent craftsmanship.

©️ 2021 Del Cusay