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