Hello, hello, fellow Peeker (short for Positivity Seeker).
It's been a mere 7 years since the last volume of the newsletter. During this gap, it might seem like the world has become more bi-polar and knee-jerk. But let us dig deeper, shall we? Like hidden treasures, positivity becomes available only to those who are willing to work for it. We must be willing to dig past the topsoil of trauma that envelopes the surface of our societies today.
Let's begin right away.
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| Pic Credit: Times Higher Education. |
A paradigm-shift treatment
Yesterday, our very own DRDO announced that 10,000 doses of its 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose drug will be released early next week for treating Covid-19 patients. The drug promises reduced oxygen dependence and faster recovery. It is designed on the innovative idea that the virus can be duped into thinking that the drug is glucose. The virus will therefore imbibe in order to multiply and then find itself neutered.
Although Drug Controller General of India has approved it for emergency use, it is important to remain cautiously optimistic. The molecule used in the drug is being repurposed for Covid-19, but the launch has happened without large-scale Phase 3 trials. And in spite of many years of development, the drug is yet to be approved for cancer treatment. For detailed technical information, watch this video.
But for now, let us revel at reaching this milestone. An innovative government organisation is attempting a bold solution. The lateral outlook we have been seeking is here. Let us watch this space with hope and awe.
Heartening trends in the pandemic
As bleak as the situation appears, we have a few reasons to cheer:
- Thanks to a Public-Private partnership, 69 new ICU beds have been installed in various hospitals in Bangalore. The video embedded in this tweet details the development.
- As of 15 May 2021, daily recoveries have outnumbered new infections for four out of five days.
- Nationwide, new infections are down around 10% because the case count is dropping in states such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Kerala, Bihar, Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Chattisgarh, Gujarat and Jharkhand. The significant drop in new infections in Maharashtra, Delhi, Kerala and UP is especially heartening.
Inspirations from around the world
- From the Coalition to Protect America's Healthcare comes 5 stories of front-line healthcare professionals behaving in exemplary ways.
- Even if you are skeptical about the World Bank's intentions, you will be hard-pressed to ignore these six stories of hope, resilience and transformation emerging out of Laos, Costa Rica, Pakistan, Kenya, Greece and Chad. What's more, each story is about reducing inequities and increasing empathy in society. Sometimes, we need a pandemic to bring out the best in ourselves.
- Our Better World promises to be a new unending source of positive stories. Sample this story about humans and leopards living in harmony. As we struggle to survive and retain our position as the apex predators of the planet, we can perhaps reflect on the fact that we share this planet with countless species who do not damage it the way we do. The least we can do is learn to coexist.
Meet Shailaja Teacher, the corona slayer
While the rest of this story has not aged well (thanks to the second wave of the pandemic that hit Kerala hard), we cannot but applaud the efforts of KK Shailaja in containing the pandemic through diligent contact tracing. What this story also reveals is the amazing healthcare infrastructure that Kerala has managed to build.
What's happiness all about?
Sometimes, we just have to get back to the basics and ask: what makes me happy? What makes the typical human happy? Is it an acquired or self-proclaimed state of mind?
This video attempts to explain the tendency of Scandinavians to be happier than the rest of the world. Some obvious and some surprising facts are revealed. The roles of money, communities, governments and spiritual ideas in the development of happiness are discussed.
Six primary factors are revealed as promoters of happiness:
- GDP per capita
- Healthy Life Expectancy
- Freedom to make life choices
- Social support
- Generosity
- Absence of corruption
One factoid that can give one pause for thought: why do these happiest countries also have alarming per capita suicide rates? One theory states that it is far more challenging to be unhappy/depressed in societies where most people are happy.
Feeling distressed? Call now!
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The
Foundation is thus addressing a dire need of a crisis, which is usually
overlooked. And to do it without levying a fee requires stronger
motivation and resolve.
More power to Ashwini and her team.
In conclusion...
If you need to replenish your well of positivity, anytime, anywhere, do visit Good News India. Although the editor of the site stopped updating it in 2006, the stories hosted in it are just as relevant and just as inspiring as before. In fact, some stories have become sweeter with age.
I hope that all of us can say the same about ourselves.
Until next time, keep discovering positivity. And when you come across a story that is worthy of belonging here, send me the link, will you? You might, for example, come across some amazing stories of courage during the cyclone. Or your eye might catch the story of the septuagenarian with comorbidities who walked out of the hospital with a broad smile on her face.
In short, I am requesting that we - you and I - co-curate this newsletter.
- Eshwar Sundaresan
P.S: Want to read the previous volume of Positivity Weekly? Click here.
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