Pandemic Learning: Time To Get Our Wills Drafted!

One of the many things I learned during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic is to get my will drafted. This way I continue to do good, long after I am gone.

COVID-19 – the topic that is uppermost on everyone’s minds currently. I must say, this is a mammoth pandemic that has caused the world to shut down, which no other pandemic has done in the past. Its presence has affected our lives so much that on one side we fear it, but on the other side, we learn from it. This pandemic is teaching us a lot in a very hard way, just like those strict teachers who don’t believe in sparing their students before they learn from their lessons!

I am not sure if people will sustain what the pandemic has taught them till the end of their life or not, but the truth is that this has led to enlightenment in many ways. Whether we accept those learnings or not, it’s ultimately our choice.

1. We really don’t need much to live on; basic amenities are sufficient for mankind to survive on this earth.
2. Family and relations are the number one priorities.
3. There is nothing more important than keeping yourself physically and mentally healthy and fit.
4. Everyone, irrespective of gender and financial status, should know how to cook.
5. Mother Nature is Mother Nature. We should respect, love, and preserve her.
6. We should know to be happy and content in our own company.
7. The concept of our elders to save money for emergencies is so right, which this generation never believed in at all.
8. People with the least wages are the most needed people for our society. Respect them and pay them well.
9. We all are equal and this pandemic has shown us that it doesn’t demarcate between rich and poor, regular people and celebrities. 
10. We need to slow down.

I am sure there are many more lessons that every one of us can come up with, based on our own experiences while surviving this pandemic. But there is one thing which nobody has yet thought about, and that’s critical.

And that is drafting a will. 

I was reading the news on 9^th April 2021 when news about China attracted my attention. It said that “Young Chinese adults have started making wills during the pandemic”. Though I am not in favour of China or anything related to it, this news intrigued me so much that I contemplated this idea seriously.

The news elaborated that, fearing death during the pandemic, more Chinese, especially young adults, have stepped forward in getting their wills written. They fear what will happen to their assets after they are gone and who would take care of their parents and families. Though will preparation remains a taboo subject for many in China (due to societal aversion towards discussions of death), this pandemic has made them take it seriously and has encouraged them, especially the young adults, to think about getting a will written.

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While I was reading this news, I genuinely felt that writing an intelligently drafted Will is a noble action one can do. There have been times when I had felt the need to do something for society, for somebody for their development and had contributed to the extent that was feasible for me. In the future when I will not be there in this world, I would like a good part of my savings to be used for a greater cause, and not just go as an inheritance.

This thought has taken a serious place in my mind and I genuinely felt that being a single woman, this action is even more important for me. My savings are a product of my sweat and soul that I invested in my work. It is hard-earned money which I would like to see getting respected and used – for the development work either for the education of children who aspire to study and do something great but are unable to, because of their current situation. Or for medical help to the underprivileged. Or for the elders who have been abandoned by their own children and need shelter and basic amenities. Or for the development of the especially-abled people.

The list has no end and I was happy that I have taken myself, my savings, my life, and my life after death very seriously. And thus, I have finally achieved the purpose of my life!

I hope that all of those who read this article give serious thought to writing a will because who knows when is our time up. This way, we will feel that we have taken responsibility for our loved ones or the society we want to serve, and can continue serving them even when we are not there.

This is one big lesson this pandemic has taught me. Think about it!

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