Dear Humans

As I ambled down my lane, brushing past through the swaying leaves and flowers, I sat down beside the carved rock, rather exhausted. I glared through the thickets surrounding my house, when suddenly my attention caught hold of a tatter of a turquoise blue cloth, peeking through the layers of dirt that seemed to bury it.

It almost called out to me, to save him from the weight of the dirt layers and could I no longer resist myself. It glistened with the golden rays of the setting sun and as I waltzed towards it, knelt down on the granular soil, I recognized him. With gentle hands, I began clearing the earthy soil from its surface, and gradually, he revealed himself - as a turquoise fabric stitched to two pieces of white strings. Shockingly grasping it, I crouched down – full of bewilderment and surprise.

“How did this mask survive, and how is it buried in my backyard? It’s been over ten years since anyone picked this up from the drug store, then how?” was the question that flashed through my mind every two seconds. But, seeing that mask, reminded me of a horrific time about ten years ago, that lasted for months but ended with both a tragedy and a miracle.

And, that was none other than the vicious massacre of scores of innocent people, led by the invisible, coronavirus. Remembering that time, today I feel fortunate, that I’m able to waddle about without a wrinkle of worry. But, those times, were one of the hardest for not only me but my family as well. Staying apart, in two different countries, we were constantly worried about the well-being of each other and our only ray of hope was a miracle from the heavens. We waited. And waited.

Until one day, everyone across the globe was conferring with each other about the arrival of a mysterious letter addressed to the human population in their mailboxes. And, what was baffling, was that it was written from “God”. Some people perceived this as a threat and some as a prank. Some hinted at this as a miracle from the heavens, while the rest of the population, lay on their beds, in utter confusion. Nobody could understand the situation at hand. Within days, the letter had been rendered a mockery. But a few days later, it mysteriously appeared once again in our mailboxes.

But this time around, people recognized its peculiarity and carefully read through the letter addressed to them. And, as they approached its end, it was almost as if a miracle white-washed our planet. Snippets of news that used to appear once a day, flashed across the televisions for endless hours – patients affected by this virus went into a deep slumber for a minute and woke up recovered, there were no traces of the virus to be found anywhere, economic conditions had been stabilized and everything had returned back to the norm.

Even today, I clearly remember the letter, for it was our life-changing moment –

“Dear humans,” it began.

“Nowadays, my house bell appears to be ringing frequently, and not just mine, but of all my friends – Jesus, Allah, Buddha, and many more. And so, after much discussion, we decided to get together and address you all, presuming it could be none other than the human race that would shed tears, light candles, ring bells, and look up, towards us for a justifiable answer.

And so, on behalf of all my friends, I, the eternal human spirit have come from the skies as a messenger of God to deliver his letter. “It has come to my knowledge, that, you, the human race, have been largely impacted by the spread of the novel coronavirus since the beginning of this auspicious year. While, other incidents, such as the bushfire, deaths of hundreds of people due to unforeseen circumstances, delaying of the Olympic games, and so on, impacted you all for months, this virus seems to largely disrupt your daily lifestyle and that too for a long duration of time, without providing any hopes of a bright future. I understand you are all stuck at your home these days, and yearn to celebrate important events with friends and family outdoors, without having to worry about wearing a mask or getting infected. And, I also understand, that such an unanticipated episode his stirred your lives and you seek to look for answers to calm your restless minds, and so you look up to me, with innocent eyes and ask me every day, “Why God?” But, just as difficult it might be for you to understand this situation, it is equally difficult for me to give you comprehensible reasoning for the occurrence of the novel coronavirus. However, more than its reasoning, you all desire for this virus to disappear, so that life may resume back to the way it used to be. But, such a fortune, that was once taken for granted and is now considered a luxury, will only reach you if you admit and agree to a settlement.

But, before the settlement is placed in front of you, I shall make an attempt, at reasoning the manifestation of this virus. You see, when I first created planet Earth, approximately four and a half billion years ago, in order to paint her beauty, I used the five elements of purity, namely – earth, water, fire, air, and space. And, since the elements of purity were subordinates of Nature, so along with me, Nature employed her powers and together we created this beautiful planet, with all sorts of organisms, plant species, creatures. But there was something missing, and so I suggested giving birth to humans who would bestow our planet with their creativity. But, before you were all born, I had to sign an agreement with Nature, which follows – “Under no circumstances must the rule of consideration and integrity be broken, else the force of Nature will act upon your humans, as unforeseen wrath unleashed upon their heads and until and unless, an ecological balance is restored, you, God, will lose all of your powers over the happenings on Earth. Nature’s elements will never unbind from their integrity but, if you decide to create humans, then you, God, are solely responsible for their behavior. If humans violate the existence of earth, water, fire, air, and space, then let you, God, know that Nature will showcase no mercy.”

Aware of her rigidity, I still decided to create you, beautiful creatures, so that Earth may truly sparkle in comparison to the other planets. And, so planet Earth, along with her creatures, was born. But, today, as I address you, I begin to regret my decision of creating you. For centuries, we have lived in harmony – you, me, and Nature and other than our occasional fits, we have survived and supported each other through thick and thin. But, recently, and as regretfully I speak, you, humans, have violated all of her codes, and brutally punished each and every element – the soil on earth that once provided life is now polluted, the transparent water streams that once flowed through the ground is now blackened, the fire that once provided warmth during hard times is now the reason for the death of hundreds of people, the air that was rich in oxygen once upon a time is now blanketed with toxic and poisonous gases and finally, space, which is the spiritual force, is now misused to blacklist each other. Mortals, you have created my idols, you worship me each day, yet never did it once occur to you, that your habits, of assuming superiority over other organisms and your habits of polluting the elements of Nature are not only blackening my name, but it is destroying your own life, your own habitat too. You couldn’t have gotten so blind to make progress, that you never realized, the people you were hurting, the animals you were killing, the trees you were cutting, and the water bodies that were polluting would come back and stab you right in the heart.

Perhaps, it was my mistake, because today, as you stand in front of me and question me for all negative things affecting Earth, take a step back, and question yourself first. However, you all must understand that unless you change your habits, there’s nothing I can do, because I have signed Nature’s agreement.

And, since, her codes have been violated, she has gained the right to unleash her anger upon you, in order to restore peace and an ecological balance. Let you know that, since the time you have been at home, you may be experiencing discomfort, but for the first time in decades, Nature is breathing. In pure soil. In pure water. In pure air. Perhaps, try thinking positively and believe that while you may be suffering today, it may be beneficial for the greater good tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens for a reason. And, whatever happens, happens for good.

I hope you understand now, why we are caught in this situation. But, dear humans, it’s not too late, and seeing your pain and agony, I am willing to forgive you and talk to Nature, to calm her down and save you from further effects of this virus. But, as I mentioned earlier, you must sign and fulfill an agreement to attain freedom.

If you want me to save you, allow you to celebrate outdoors without a hint of worry and without a mask, forever, then you must promise me and Nature as well, that from henceforth, never ever, and I mean it, never, will you or any of your activities directly or indirectly negatively distress any of the five elements of Nature, Nature herself, your fellow companions and all of those organisms both above and below you in the food chain.

So, dear humans, what's your decision? Will you steer your ship on the right track or continue on the same path, and bear a tragic ending like the Titanic?”

Dear humans, that was God’s deepest message to you all, but now, it’s me, the eternal spirit. And, here is a piece of suggestion – sign God’s settlement, and end this paranoia.

Yours faithfully,

God”

And, since that day, each passing day has been brighter than before. Each passing day is becoming greener, purer, and a step closer to God’s heaven. And, now that it’s been ten years since the event, I have given my promise to God, to never pollute him or his associates, and that was the best decision, we humans could have taken. And, so, I must trash this mask properly now, but before I stroll back home, decide for yourself, what is the right thing to do. Don’t you think, it’s time for you as well to sign his agreement?