Who knew that a time would come when all of us would be forced to be behind locked doors? Well, nobody could’ve even thought about this in their scariest dreams. But unfortunately, the December of 2019 changed a lot of things for all the seven billion people of this world.
The December of 2019 brought a virus into this world which was capable of destroying humanity and more than that, the ability of humans to hope. To be precise about the destructive nature of this virus, since December, millions of people have lost their lives.
There is no backing-off from saying that the world hasn’t been the same since December 2019. And, even though we hoped that after a whole year of struggling with this virus, 2021 would be better, well we, humans, were highly mistaken about the baneful nature of this virus.
The day when the news was dropped about how a new virus has taken over the world, since then, every living being on this planet is struggling to survive. This pandemic has disrupted the lifestyle of every living being, and more than that, the mindset of humans, too.
Before the pandemic hit us, we were free to go out of our homes whenever we wanted to, and in order to confess our feelings, we were free to touch and hug each other. But, after the pandemic hit us, it took away our freedom to move around the city, and to touch and hug our dear ones.
Honestly, with this pandemic came a sense of materialism and selfishness. In order to be alive, we had to be distanced from every other human being, and in order to be full with our needs, we had to think about ourselves first; this was the kind of materialism and selfishness which entered our lives.
Moreover, before the pandemic came and made us all home arrest, who knew that online lectures and work from home would become the new normal? Who knew that ‘I am going out’ statement would mean going out in the balcony or at the terrace? Who knew that one day would come when touch, which is one of the most significant senses of humans, would become life threatening? Who knew that air for breathing, which is one of the most necessary things to remain alive, would become a luxury? There is no doubt in saying that a microscopic virus, which is too hard to even locate under the microscope, would become the reason for deteriorating lives and mankind.
Ever since the virus and this pandemic has hit the whole world, everything has changed; changed in the most negative and terrible manner. But as we, humans, have this never ending ability to find good even in the baddest of situations, we are hoping, wishing, and praying for a better tomorrow.
Of course, along with this pandemic came fear, selfishness, and life loss. But, with this pandemic also came the sense of care for each other, the value of life, and most importantly, the belief in our long nurtured humanity.
Though this pandemic took our ability to touch, hug, and shake each other’s hands, at the same time, it also revived the lost traditions of bowing down, saying Namaste (translation: greetings to you), and gesticulating Salaam (translation: greetings to you).
With the advent of this virus came terms like, ‘social-distancing’, ‘mask-up’, ‘sanitizer’, ‘lockdown’, etc. But at the same time, this virus revived our lost schedules of checking up on each other, reading books which were piled up, and learning to do something of our interest.
Before the virus became a significant part of our lives, we, humans, were taking life for granted. But, after the virus entered our lives, we started realising the worth of being alive; of being able to breathe with any oxygen concentrator or cylinder.
With this virus came lethargy, demotivation, loss of concentration, and grief. But, with this virus also came the will to get up again in the morning, the will to meditate, and the attitude of being grateful.
Despite being frightened and terrorised by the present situation of the world because of this deadly virus, one thing which is intact in all the human beings of this world is hope. Hope, along with patience, is the only thing which is making the situation less worse for mankind. This is because, even though every life is struggling to sustain their lives, each of them, at the same time is making sure that the other one lives, and not just survive. And, as Nelson Mandela has rightly said, “Our human compassion binds us the one to the other– not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future,” therefore, we, humans, who are stuck in this execrable situation, are holding onto a hopeful tomorrow by holding onto each other.
