The Killer Still At Large…Don’t Be Callous!

Courtesy: Ragini  Bhattacharyya Chakravarty

Most of us take the killer virus seriously only when it strikes hard at our neighbors or friends or relatives; it hits the housing society we live in taking a life or two, and we become dead serious resolving to follow guidelines strictly and if possible not to venture out at all; it hits our dear friends or relatives, particularly the elderly, and we display the same sentiments and concerns, even advising others to be serious about it. However, we get to hear or watch the news about thousands of deaths all over the world every possible day since COVID-19 struck, and we immediately check with the fatality rate, feeling comfortable or taking solace that it is still lower and manageable. This makes us light-headed and careless, not seemingly convinced about following the norms and precautions strictly. But we must realize that for a particular person death means the final closure—the end of the world, shutting him/her completely out of everything worldly and that s/he cannot ever speculate about the behavior or the low fatality rates displayed by the virus. We must not ever forget how countries like United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France suffered; we must not make light of the situation still prevailing in USA, Brazil and India. Thus, death is totally undesirable, whatever be the numbers, and the modern human society cannot ever accept deaths happening to its fellow inhabitants on a regular basis. We must learn from this to be compassionate to any loss of lives on our Planet Earth, and never to be callous. The killer virus can infect anybody and can stalk anybody irrespective of religion/region/riches/ethnicity/age, and its low fatality rate does not at all ensure our safety and longevity.

The Coronavirus pandemic has so far infected nearly 16 million people of the world with the total deaths over 6,40,000 lives. You can no longer be comfortable if the infections happen to cross the one billion mark, because in that eventuality the figure of the dead, even at its present low rate, would stagger you. You will no longer be willing to indulge in the skepticism or black humor constantly circulating or being in the eternally forwarding mode in the social media, and you would start blocking out those clueless idle souls trying to pass their ample hours of spare time, and in the process misinforming and misleading millions. You must have already found various forwards trying to compare the deaths in the pandemic with the normal death figures of normal diseases, and through that managing to convey the impression that the virus is not at all serious which would justify the series of lockdowns and strict norms of a new normal. Once you discard your casual approach towards the sufferings of humanity at the clutch of the killer virus, you will cease to be impressed by such inanities and harmful intents. And, that would open you up to compassion, empathy and love for fellow human beings.

This, of course, does not mean that you are condemned to a gloomy, subdued and suffocated existence. Praying for the dead and praying for sparing our planet from COVID cannot prevent you from living your life with positive spirit and brightness: you must never give up your jovial nature; must do your daily work in good humor with all other members of the family; you must do your work-from-home with gusto; you must enjoy the movies or entertainment shows on television with all others at home; you must eat heartily and appreciate the dishes prepared; you must be alert and attentive towards the domestic necessities by managing online orders/deliveries well; you must do your daily exercises indoors if not allowed outside; of course, if you are capable, try donating a few bucks online to make the lives of the poorest and the worst sufferers a little better; and you must keep on following the norms strictly advising others too in that direction. You also must learn to accept the fact that COVID is not going to go away in a hurry, and all the positive developments on the drugs or vaccines for possible COVID cure or prevention are going to take some time. Further, the killer virus must be given its due too, because we have to admit that the new Coronavirus is very clever and dangerous, and that it can even mutate itself in its killer bid to overcome humankind. In the time of crisis, being the eternal skeptic is wrong, and being callous is sin. Amen!