“Something good comes out of every crisis”
Ryan Reynolds
The COVID-19 lockdown may be an unusual break from their hectic schedules for those lucky enough to thrive in places where days used to follow normal routine months after months and years after years, but for us it is another clamp down, this one though by a pandemic. If we unfold the pages of last three decades, it reveals that we have lived through many lockdowns during which we mostly use to remain glued to our TV sets to know the scores of deaths and injuries looming each day, simulating somewhat to present havoc created by coronavirus worldwide. The isolation and fear during these lockdowns drives an escalating nervousness among many people. Not just those with pre-existing conditions like anxiety, depression and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), but also the elderly who struggled with new levels of loneliness and helplessness thus increased the foot falls at psychiatric clinics. Now the waxing and waning anxiety of COVID-19 lockdown surrounds us all. For rest of the world excluding few unfortunate habitats like ours, such situation was alien till now, where one is bound to be confined within the walls of home among uncertainties and fear of coming in death trap any time, that too of a tiny virus now. For us neither confinement nor the mass deaths are new, yes the cause of death is. A tiniest virus famous as coronavirus these days, brought the whole world down to almost a grinding halt, freezes everything from roads to rails, highways to runways, lanes to by-lanes, fields to farms, shops to malls, dabbas to hotels, everything, thus rattled the markets and ushered in a dangerous new phase to public health crisis that is threatening to become global economic crisis and may cripple the economy of even economic giants. Coronavirus makes men suspicious of one another and cuts off all the left over social ties, forced us to live in isolation to save our existence. What helplessness and cries of millions of oppressed people all over the world could not do for centuries now, a tiny virus does it at ease just in few days, testified the power of powerful creator and exposed the helplessness of his well laced tech savvy creation.
It is too early to predict exactly when this havoc creating coronavirus will adieu good bye to this world for now or forever, but the interesting thing to see is that, will it leads to renovation of world for grand reopening. Is it going to change the course of the world towards better future? The future where oppressed will get their rights back with dignity, where hungry will get food belly filled, undressed clothed, poorest shelter to live and mighty will not curb the rights of weak. A world where borders will get insignificant and people will roam like birds. A world where there will be no distinction on the basis of caste, creed and religion. A world where resources will be equally shared and welfare of humanity will be of utmost concern. A world that spends more on life saving equipment’s rather than weapons of mass destruction. A world with better healthcare facilities, quality of life and economic prosperity for all; where rules of creator will be taken care of, where each faith will be respected and differences sorted with logical and healthy discussions. A world where the daughters of eve will feel safe; where we will breathe without masks and where reflections of images can be seen in its clear waters of ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. A world where animals find their habitats safe and birds their nesting places. A world where blue-eyed will not overtake capable. A world where producers of food get due returns of their sweat. A world where light of knowledge will prevails to fade the darkness of ignorance; world where humanity will bloom and cruelty will die down its own death. A world where the breezes of trust, love and compassion will keeps flowing forever. Is it possible or I am getting over optimistic. I wonder! Will it be a renovation of world for grand reopening soon?
Author works as Scientist – Floriculture,KVK, Kupwara, SKUAST-K.
Views expressed are personal
