People often ask me what good it does to a person who self-distances himself from his social circle, as we are now forced to do in this pandemic. My answer is that by distancing oneself socially, one avoids the risk of catching or spreading coronavirus to others, and this in either case is a good policy to follow. Those who have corona symptoms, and those who have not, must not come close to each other. There are so many other preventions to save oneself from this epidemic, but nothing is as trustworthy as social distancing, i.e. keeping oneself aloof and avoiding mixing up and inter-acting with others. An epidemic always spreads by direct contact, which must at all cost be avoided. But the seamy side is that social distancing leads to complete disruption of normal life and profitable activity which makes us prosperous and happy. But this isolation cannot persist for long and will one day be lifted when the danger of this epidemic would subside. Indefinite continuance of this lockdown will cripple our economy, and will very badly affect our poor classes living below the poverty line whose livelihood depends on daily wages. One can only pray to God that this wave of epidemic subsides at the earliest so that our public life returns to normal. My focus at present is on those persons who are forced to stay home and do not know how should they spend their time indoors. They consider this confinement as a punishment because they do not know how should they spend their time in this temporary confinement. With deep anguish they ask, how can they manage to stay homes doing nothing. It is indeed well neigh impossible for everyone to stay home and do nothing. Almost all of us have had spent our lives doing some kind of work to earn our livelihood. Thus it looks nearly impossible for us to remain confined to our houses and doing nothing. Remaining indoors is no doubt a compulsion from the state to which we like good citizens have acquiesced less by the fear of the state and more by our own self-discipline. But the remaining part relating to “doing nothing” is not the decree of the state, but it is our own addition to make us appear miserable. Nobody has enforced us to “do nothing” by remaining indoors. There are too many healthy activities to follow while being indoors that it is not possible to enumerate all of them here. However, it is a matter of pride for us that in view of this call for social distancing, most of our streets wear deserted looks, and we have by and large agreed to stay home without the fear of the state. What activity we wish to engage ourselves in during this quarantined period is left to our choice, and there is no compulsion on us from any quarter. There are many physical and intellectual activities one can profitably engage oneself in. In this season of coronavirus, in most localities of Lahore, particularly the gated societies and communities, even the entry of domestic servants and drivers have been banned to prevent contact with outside world. Though this causes inconvenience to those people who are dependent on their private servants for doing their household chores. On a strict moral plane, the institution of private servants amounts to exploitation of man by man, and is thus not followed in civilized societies, where private service of this nature on hourly basis is so costly that nobody can afford to pay. Hence in western societies, all people do their domestic chores with their own hands and are not dependent on others. Doing one’s own work without relying on others is a virtuous act from moral as well as religious points of views. Most of us are most disorganized at homes, and make a mess of everything we use or do. Now this is the time we can organize ourselves more carefully and in a peaceful environment. We cannot get rid of the institution of private servants. There is rank poverty, illiteracy and un-employment so that domestic labour is available at very cheap rates, and countless starving poor are available to do domestic jobs for others to make their both ends meet. In such a situation even persons of modest means employ domestic servants to do their household chores. This creates a class of lethargic and lazy people, particularly the ladies of these modest homes who do not make use of their limbs for doing their household work, become obese and out of shape and also fall prey to various ailments due to lack of exercise. This is a sordid aspect of our life-style which we can give up with some will and determination. But no compulsion is strong enough to force us to change this life-style except crisis of the kind through which we are passing now. The present lockdown, however temporary, is a God-sent opportunity to put our will to test and make an effort to change this style. But habits acquired over a long periods of time cannot be changed so easily. There are numerous other activities one can engage oneself in. There are many functions one always neglected to perform for lack of time. For instance, saying five times prayers regularly is one of such activities. Understanding the Holy Quran with its meanings and explications by authors of repute can help us know its message more rationally which appeals to the modern man. Readings of rational and unbiased non-Muslim scholars of Islam and its history (prominent being Lesley Hazleton, Karen Armstrong, Bernard Lewis and Annemarie Schimmel etc.) can give us an extra insight into our history and culture, which we had been putting off to a more relaxed time. My mention of these names should by no means be taken to restrict your study to these scholars only. These studies and practices cover only one facet of life. There are far greater treasures of knowledge for those who hanker after secular knowledge whose wealth of detail I cannot recount within this short space. Books and internet can adequately meet their needs. There are many physical and intellectual activities one can profitably engage oneself in The present quarantined isolation serves best to those of us who derive pleasure in reading and writing. Our own Urdu classical and modern literature is second to none in the world in their richness and variety. Reading poetry enthralls us, motivates us, and gives us a higher vision of life which is otherwise not possible to conceive. It is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. This is the right time to enjoy it in our hours of isolation. Those who are immersed in English literature can find even a larger repertoire on the internet to enrich their thoughts, and derive pleasure and happiness. English being the lingua franca of the world has more to cater to the interests of its readers or viewers via the internet which makes its access far quicker than any other language. Since our present isolation does not deprive us of the facility of internet, therefore it is always easy for us to have access to the latest news and commentaries by their respective experts and the latest news about social and political developments round the globe which is a source of fun and delight for all people staying indoors. Despite being confined within the four walls of the house, the internet still provides them a window on the world which gives them greater fun and delight than the man roaming on the street. We are passing through a state of national emergency which requires us to remain indoors temporarily till the scourge of epidemic is over and there is no danger to human life in our usual interaction in our normal routine. Having so much to do while being indoors, I wonder why people feel that they have “nothing to do” when confined inside their homes. The writer is a former member of the Provincial Civil Service, and an author of Moments in Silence