Living in the new normal: People's responses to exist during lockdown

Lockdown is a contradictory state in which inhabitants of any country are told to stay indoors to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, yet they are only allowed to leave their homes to acquire necessities (Piryani, 1-5). During the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown creates disorientation in people’s lives and puts them in predicaments. The lockdown compels individuals to grapple with their dilemmas in this paradoxical situation. The recorded testimonies of Tenzin Palyon, Jose K. Jose, and Roy A. Parekatt depict their responses to their predicament by selecting the right choice to survive and adapt to the new normal. The paper posits that the choices Tenzin Sherab, Jose K. Jose, and Roy A. Parekatt made in their contradictory situations, along with their varied responses, helped them regain their identity and achieve autonomy, enabling them to live a meaningful life in the new normal. Barry Schwartz’s theory of the paradox of choice as a tool to critically investigate the varied responses identified in their lockdown testimonials. Barry Schwartz mentions paradoxical choice in his (2004) book The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. In 2008, a new term, the new normal, emerged. In the context of this study, this term explores how the COVID-19 epidemic altered significant aspects of human survival. Cultural theorists contend that emotions within a person interact with culture during a crisis. Human resilience, recuperation, and reconstruction overcome a paradoxical circumstance to give rise to the new normal. The study highlights risks and problems by delving into the contradictory lives of people who endured distortion, negative liberty, anxiety, and restricted access to necessities while under lockdown.