What does it take to make the human mind understand the stark truths of life? We are collectively hard nuts to crack when it comes to following a discipline.
We need a pandemic to keep our environment clean. Nature can blossom only when man’s ravaging instincts are controlled.
We need a lockdown to put us in our place, but do you think we have learnt a lesson from it?
That’s hard to say, if we go by the restlessness that we are exhibiting in the unlocking phase. The tough part is that we need to prevent the spread of the dreaded disease, but doing so is totally dependent on our understanding of how precautions are to be taken.
But there we are, unabashedly compounding the task, by an obnoxious display of our reluctance to stay indoors.
They say ‘ fools march in where angels fear to tread’. Sadly, many people have started going out and about just because lockdown hours have been relaxed.
This foolhardiness is not just confined to India , but has a universal overtone. People have decided to get out of their homes as a matter of right. That they are bored at home is reason enough for them to embrace the chance of getting infected.
The other day, a few families in my neighbourhood went for a picnic. I was the odd one out and was scoffed at for what they said was my cowardly behaviour. To their erudite minds, they were playing safe, because all of them knew each other and were not infected.
{{/usCountry}}The other day, a few families in my neighbourhood went for a picnic. I was the odd one out and was scoffed at for what they said was my cowardly behaviour. To their erudite minds, they were playing safe, because all of them knew each other and were not infected.
{{/usCountry}}Well, I wonder if they had enlightened the virus about the rules of the game.
As the pandemic rages, we face a dilemma: At one moment it feels right to face the challenge and resume normal life with a brave heart, and on the other it seems wise to stay confined indoors.
Society has been divided in two factions. One section has started its normal routine and is gleefully posting its deeds of bravado on social media. By refusing to wear a mask in public Donald Trump is trying to project a macho image. The others are still terrified of contracting the disease and hiding indoors.
These topsy-turvy times have brought us all to sixes and sevens. The temptation to go out is too strong while the option of staying put sounds mundane. No one knows how safe we are or for how long will we remain safe. Each person is interpreting safety measures in his or her own way.
We were ecstatic at the news of tennis star Novak Djokovic holding a tournament, but, later, happiness turned to horror when we heard about him getting infected with his wife Jelena, three other players, three coaches and one player’s pregnant wife.
As we oscillate from one extreme to another , I hope we are able to sort out the right way of living through this dark phase.
Let better sense prevail where we do not give in to our whims and fancies at the drop of a hat. This drudgery of life is reiterating the point, that till the dust of the unseen enemy settles down, it is better to play safe, than to be sorry.
I wonder how many have heard it, and how many are still waiting for tougher times, till reality sinks in. Life is not to be taken chances with, because you only live once.
alkagaurkashyap@gmail.com
The writer is a Chandigarh-based lawyer