Everyone knows about the deadly COVID-19 virus that started in China and how it is terrorising the globe in and out. The virus has taught us many things, but most important is that we as a species can change really fast. Living life with the virus has given the world a new way to see itself.
I feel that coronavirus is the daughter of Mother Earth who, when she couldn’t bear to see the way humans have tortured her mother, came down on Earth to teach us, cruel human beings, a lesson. Because she surprisingly brought so many changes that people once thought were impossible, now the world can see clear blue skies, clean rivers and empty roads. There are millions of people who enjoyed fresh air in their cities and after two generations, residents in Jalandhar saw the snow-capped Himalayas clearly.
People have forgotten the fires of the Amazon forest and Australia, the countless floods, increasing famines, heat waves and sea level rise. The things we took for granted were easily snatched away from our hands. The amazing Indian railway, the friendly vegetable hawker, the drive to the nearest hyper-market are no longer available at our call. The lockdown has significantly reduced road accidents in India.
Because of the pandemic, apps such as Zoom are earning great profits because all school courses are now online. The whole world is now using masks and sanitisers. People have started taking hygiene very seriously as they have to wash their hands with soap or hand wash frequently.
Work from home (WFH) is the third major change that has become a part of people’s lives. People are stuck in their own homes and cannot go out to meet friends or for any occasion especially in countries like India where the COVID-19 toll is so high. Home delivery is the only way we can eat food from a restaurant. All religious places are closed and so are sites for tourism.
The world is a huge place but I think if people can be motivated enough to reduce their travel and increase their concern for nature, they can prove that individual action has the potential to transform this world into a better place to live in.
