So this is where we’re at, smack in the middle of yet another austere lockdown. I’m back in the kitchen cooking all three meals. I do most of the housework and gardening (translation: tending to twenty humble plants that I’m constantly teased about). Jaspy wakes up earlier than I do, attends his online math class, takes printouts of his homework, completes it and emails it to his teacher (thankfully, he takes after his father when it comes to technology, while I’m left awestruck at how today’s kids adapt).
Work everywhere remains halted - as it has proven, nothing is immune to the pandemic’s effects, but what looks especially bleak is the current state of small, bootstrapped businesses. While most of us Instagram warriors have taken to social media with a vengeance, by sharing and mobilising resources, I can’t help but wince when I see business owners being shamed by some for promoting their livelihood on the same platforms.
Sure, times are grim; there’s death and suffering everywhere, and as much as it pains me to see people go through that, it might also make sense to think about those still alive but barely hanging by a thread. People forget that small businesses are looking after a whole ecosystem within them - their own little team with families to feed, bills, rents and fees to pay. Most of these families are low-income, and highly dependent on their employers/daily wages.
Besides, entrepreneurs who’ve just started out, sometimes operate at very low profit margins. Some have invested their entire life savings in their ventures and are now waiting longingly to hear the ping of a new order.
So while you might see small business owners posting throwback holiday pictures, diy reels and recipes to “beat the heat”, know that they’re also scrambling to be responsible paymasters to their furloughed employees. They also might’ve assisted in sourcing a patient an oxygen cylinder just like you did today, might’ve donated their bit to the cause, and who knows - might be dealing with the loss of their own loved one/s. No one gets to judge personal turmoil and how one’s dealing with it.
Instead, why not let people share whatever’s getting them through, whatever’s easing the stress and boosting their mental health, as long as it’s not escalating the issue at hand. Even if it means creating/consuming makeup videos that soothe the eye. Art to the rescue, right?
I find myself wondering, what is right and what is wrong at a time like this? How are we suddenly the gatekeepers of virtual righteousness?
I won’t lie, I’ve mulled about posting these pictures since I took them last week. I've also been consulting my ride-or-die crew about what is the correct, conscientious thing to do currently when there’s no one untouched by trauma. This is where our deliberation brought us:
More than anything else, it’s easy to see what we’re all concerned about. It’s what others might...think? Which is silly, because that was never a factor when I started out anyway - I never made it my business to patronize the judgments of others, just their love for jewellery.
We know what we’re faced with in our own realities. So I shove aside the guilt and plan to remain me - as loyal and dependable as I’ve always been - maybe more, vaccinating my entire team, staying home, and just being grateful for my privilege to be able to stay home at a time like this. And so should you, if you’re reading this in the comfort of your couch. Let’s leave small-business-bullying out of it?
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