Ruhi Kabir
A new world order has emerged. Life as we knew it has stopped, has been shut down for an indefinite period.
We cannot go out, cannot let anyone come and visit, children cannot go to school or play outside, parents cannot go to work, one can't go for a haircut or to the dentist or a doctor if one has health issues. One cannot go and visit someone critically ill in the hospital or attend a funeral if someone dies.
We are helpless. It is one mini tiny invisible virus that sneaks in from where no one knows and has turned everyone's life upside down....man or woman, rich or poor, young or old, black, white or brown. It makes no discrimination when it comes to choosing its victims. It has made the powerful powerless, the strong weak. It has taken our peace away, our sleep, our joy at small little things, our comfort and our life as it was even until last month.
Now we live in fear all the time, afraid to touch the door knob, the elevator button, the plastic bag that wraps the fruits or vegetables, the delivery bag that brings food from the restaurant, the milk carton, the juice bottle or the cheese wrap, everything that may have been in contact with another human being. We keep washing our hands after every touch.
It has become a paranoia. Sadly there is nothing called trust, faith or reliance on anyone, anything, anywhere. The entire world is at war with an enemy that cannot be seen, heard or felt until it makes its deathly attack. No guns, bombs, artillery or the mightiest army can defeat this enemy. It has chosen its enemy. HUMANS.
When will this end? What will the new world look like after this is over?
Now it is not about you or me. Now we have to think and pray for all those people who are sick and fighting for their lives. We have to be immensely grateful for all the doctors, nurses and staff, the paramedics and every individual who are working in the front line risking their lives.
We have to thank the drivers who are still driving trucks and lorries delivering fresh food for our consumption, all the staff at the groceries and pharmacies, the security guards, the police and the delivery boys on motorbikes surfing the city, picking food from the restaurants and bringing it to our homes.
Above all we must thank Almighty God for still keeping us healthy and safe. Let us take lessons from this huge calamity to make some significant changes in our lives for the future, for the betterment of the universe and for every living creature that God has created.
Let us all pray that this is over soon. God help us all.
The writer is based in
Toronto, Canada
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