COVID-19

I will be deluding myself if I say I’m enjoying the secluded existence during this unprecedented lockdown. I can’t suppress the genes that made my ancestors to traverse vast expanse of wilderness for about 25-30 lakh years, barring a comparatively minuscule time of preceding 15000 years or so when humanity started settling down.

The current mass seclusion warranted by the COVID-19, must be happening for the first time in the entire history and, therefore, I’m not at peace with myself. It’s a mighty blow on the celebrated wisdom and maturity of this highly evolved species, a species that could be crowned as the Emperor species of all the living creatures. But, today, a nano-micron size entity, the Coronavirus has brought down this Emperor species to its knees. This is not a good news.

We have been engulfed in the frenzy of exotic ideas of development, especially during the last two centuries, coupled with the economic models that are designed to serve and favor a few rather than the most. The governance systems are not at all in the saddle to control the economic systems, rather, the economic systems are subjugating the governments. There’s a deficit of vision all across the globe. And, because of pollution of thoughts, the societies are being torn apart on social media, creating virtual civil wars in many countries. It’s a habit of cultures to tout any happening as a never before event and we have collectively blunted the real meaning of “never before”. But believe me the situation created ‘not by’ Coronavirus but ‘due to’ the response to the COVID-19 is patently a ‘never before’ event.

I have discontinued my daily ritual of jogging 12 kms of last two decades. I miss it a lot. The genes of my ancestors provoke me not to discontinue it, however, I’m not listening to those genes and abiding by the government’s efforts to contain it and save lives. However, the same genes also give an uneasy feeling and tell me that the humanity should press the ‘refresh’ button on the keyboard, debug the system and write a fresh software… new governance, cultural and economic orders that would enable coexistence of the entire humanity, bereft of any artificial barriers and cemented by shared interests and values.