In the midst of darkness....

In the midst of darkness....

Times have not been easy with the onset of the Corona virus. An air of despair coupled with fear looms large. All of us seem to be in the face of an unprecedented crisis. Not a single life has been left unaffected. Children, youth, elders, employees, employers, service providers, government or industries, the virus has entered the realms of our life and has almost brought it to a standstill. For the first time perhaps one is actually face to face with social distancing, something which as Indians we are unused too.
Caught in between the fear of being sick and the travails of maintaining a normal life in these disruptive times society has been offered a unique opportunity to pause and press reset. It is also an opportunity to take a good hard look at where we are and where we are all rushing to.
"Social distancing" has become the reason for families to really spend time with each other rather than getting drowned in a deluge of socializing.
When we are forced to buy only essentials it helps us to realise how we have cluttered our lives and homes with things which are really not needed. This has also made society realise the real worth of the people on whose shoulders the functioning of a nation rests : shopkeepers , sanitary workers, public transport operators, essential service providers, government employees including district administration, municipal corporations, police and most importantly the doctors, nurses , the medical fraternity and even the chemists.
While the heart swells with pride seeing the dedication of these people to humanity it is also shocked to see the callousness of those who have been advised medical self-isloation flouting safety norms.
It is the interest of one's own self and their loved ones and those around you that one should maintain distance and follow quarantine norms. The only way to cut this epidemic is by severing all physical contact with people, maintain good hygiene, wash hands appropriately and stay indoors if one is down with fever or infections or has cough, cold and body ache. One cannot and should take the risk of being casual nor bring upon ourselves the situation brought upon countries like China, South Korea, Japan, USA etc. Self discipline is the best solution.
Of course the fallout of the epidemic stretches beyond social parameters. It is for the first time the world is facing such a severe recession due to a virus. The economy is crumbling. Several sectors like transport and tourism, automobiles and specially oil have been hit severely. There is a cash crunch and stock market has slumped. Of course there is a rise in sale of sanitizers and health products as well as disinfectants. But surely that cannot wipe out the losses or the slow down in the economy which will take a long time to recover. We will surely have many lessons to learn.
There is so much gloom, despair and anxiety as if we are all caught under a spell of darkness. However I happened to read a quote by Christine Caine which said, “Sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried, but actually, you’ve been planted.“
Presently we certainly may be in the dark like the seed which is buried deep into the ground to bloom out like the tree.
Even Daniel Defoe in his novel , Robinson Crusoe has said that "God will often deliver us in a manner that seems, initially, to destroy us."
A lot many lives have been lost, a lot many affected yet many have recovered and are on the road to recovery.
We must therefore be encouraged by the words of Christine Caine. It may seem like we have been buried but we may actually have been planted. May be our future growth may not have been possible without the hardship that has preceded it.
Let us do our bit to face this situation and let us work towards moving out of darkness.....