“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
― A Tale of Two Cities
Indeed these words could not have been more apt for the times we are living through today. The world has been swept by the pandemic, and here it has just turned in for the worse with the second wave being even more gruesome than the first. Not just the virus itself which seems to be mutating and coming up with new strains which are more infectious, but to combat it, our own preparedness has been under question. Surely no one might have guessed the deadly and sudden impact it would have and how all around us, there would chaos for medical and other support. But that’s the sad reality.
Was speaking to a friend the other day and we discussed about the Spanish flu that is so often cited as the last great pandemic. We imagined how lost the people might have been then, with no communication devices, volunteer groups, information availability and so on, adding to their woes. To that extent, we have indeed come far, and with video calling and digitisation, we are atleast able to see our near and dear ones virtually, and do many of the activities that otherwise required us to visit a place, be it shopping, paying bills, entertainment (the indoor kind) and such. How much these count, is something we realise even more during such situations. This is not to discount the physical interactions and its many benefits, but surely helps just to get us through with daily chores and life.
The other spectrum is the number of people out there helping and sacrificing for the greater good, the frontline groups, volunteers, and so on, bringing out the best of human nature; while we also see on the other hand, some other aspects of humanity which are disgraceful. Indeed then, the best and worst of times..Many of the experiences has then made some of us wise or foolish, as you see it. Wise especially when you realise how fragile life can be and its many aspects, and foolish when we still pursue the more fleeting things.
But hope is what man lives by - we plan our lives, what we would do and how we would do it and all of it, hoping for a better tomorrow. While despair knocks its icy hands on our doors, we are swept by it and yet not, because of hope. Some seek to look inwards to find solace, and some in other ways. In the end, human kind has triumphed through the ages, and while we do not know if we will triumph still, that hope is what keeps our kind going.
Hope to see better days ahead.
