Lockdown 6: Am I Human?

I see the world of human beings under three broad categories: 1) Humans 2) Inhumans and 3) Fence Sitters. The humans category consists of a large section of humanity that understands what it means to be human beings and behave with great empathy towards fellow-beings. The inhumans comprise that minority of humanity that unfortunately believe in “survival of the fittest and best” and have little or no empathy towards other human beings. The third category, a large majority, comprises individuals caught up in the daily miseries of living so much that they rarely have time for others.

The human race is now fighting a fierce battle for survival against an enemy we do not know about. The Covid virus has taken the world by surprise with it's swift and sudden entry and spread. Scientists across the world are racing to find out a vaccine to combat the enemy, but meanwhile the challenges faced by the human race as a whole are too many and too complex.

While at least the near future looks gloomy for mankind, this horrible virus attack has brought to the fore several positives. For once the entire race of humans is united as one to fight a single, common enemy. It is not only the governments that are key to the battle; every single individual is a warrior and has to engage in the battle for survival.

We now have a new breed of Covid warriors. They are not armed with guns and bombs, but they are no less fearless than our brave soldiers on the border. These are unlikely warriors with exceptional courage and determination. Doctors, nurses, hospital staff, municipal workers, government employees, police and social workers, to name a few.

Nearer home, in our residential complex, I see our housekeeping staff turning up for duty every single day to keep the complex clean and hygienic. These people have families of their own, yet have braved the virus to do their duties. Our security guard is there day and night, and so are the plumbers and electricians. They need not have risked their lives and those of their families, for we would have paid their salaries even if they had stopped coming. 

Our society management too is doing a commendable job of providing food and snacks for the staff. Not only this, a dozen or so residents have taken up the challenge to feed hundreds of poor people in our locality every day. They are working with the local municipal and police authorities to provide whatever limited support they can.

When I see on TV news that hundreds of hospital staff have been infected and many of them are dead or dying, my heart goes out to them. No amount of money can compensate for their lost lives!

I also read an interesting story about what happened to a mother and son in Kashmir valley. The two had gone to Kashmir as tourists and were stranded there when the lockdown was announced. The hotel that they were staying in closed down and they had no place to go. While they were desperately looking for help from the authorities there, one of the local Kashmiri Muslim offered to take them to his house. Now, we all know how dangerous it is to invite anyone home under these dire circumstances. 

Not only was there a possibility of the mother-son duo being affected as they had travelled from Mumbai; they could also put their host and his family at risk. But the local was overwhelmed by their plight and did what any good human being would have done.

There was this other news that caught my attention. A group of foreign tourists were stranded in Haridwar where they were attending a meditation camp. After the lockdown, they had nowhere to go. They were afraid to go to the authorities because that could mean that they would be forcibly quarantined. They took the help of a local who took them to a hidden cave in the mountains. They hid in the cave for weeks before the police found out about them. 

We also hear of people evading authorities in fear of being quarantined. There are any number of people who have kept quiet on their travels, only to discover later that they were infected. We also know about the rich businessman who used his influence with the police to get a pass to travel with his family to a hill station, when all around them the virus was raging!

But the major story unfolding globally is that of human beings rising above themselves and their problems to contribute to the war against the virus. Many are fighting the virus from the front lines; most others are fighting from their homes, following government guidelines.

Whichever way you look at this humongous health crisis, I see it as an opportunity to look in and evaluate my own status as a human being; something I was never forced to do before. The lockdown has given me the time to introspect and ask myself: to which category of humanity do I belong?