The lessons coronavirus has taught us
Humanity needs ventilators not your bombs
Mushtaq Hurra
The whole world has come to a standstill. Every heart is wrenched, every soul is grief stricken and every mind is obsessed with the fear of death and destruction. People are frightened of the tragic disaster which has almost assumed the shape of a monster, and is about to engulf the whole humanity.
Every ray of hope has almost vanished but a little quantum of optimism is still there in our hearts. In this extreme desperation some are looking towards the skies for divinely help while as some others are looking for a medical science miracle.
The spike in COVID19 positive cases across the globe is emerging as a Herculean task for the world to battle out. Developed and the developing countries are in the same queue, watching their people dying for the lack of necessary and proper medical facilities and services. WHO like international organizations have almost knelt down and accepted their defeat.
Here, at this crucial juncture, a billion dollar question pops into the minds of many. What is the logic behind the scare created by the pandemic when its mortality rate is just four or five percent. Then, why are lockdowns imposed, why are economies left to crumble, why are children deprived of their education? World has witnessed lakhs of deaths to H1N1 flu as well but there was no such hue and cry, then. There is something terrible serious which forces us to take the harshest steps. Leaders of the world have probably failed to invest in the vital areas like healthcare and education.
Today, the biggest challenge before the whole world is the sharp and scary rise in COVID19 positive cases. But, ironically, the world sans sufficient and adequate healthcare facilities and services has failed to tackle this challenging situation. It may sound bizarre but it is a reality that the so-called great champions and ambassadors of human rights and democracies have failed to invest adequately in the healthcare system. They have befooled the masses of the world in the name of nationalism and patriotism. Their ambitions to monopolize the global economy have brought us to the virtual destruction and the culmination of human race from the planet called earth.
After the Second World War, world witnessed a mad race of economic hegemony and nuclear weapons. USA and the former USSR fought the prolonged battle of nerves popularly known as the Cold war. This politics of power led to the accumulation of deadly weapons, missiles, fighter jets and other sophisticated armoury. The two blocks and their allies made every possible attempt to do down each other. They, probably, did it deliberately or they lacked the vision to let humanity bloom and live happily on the planet. Conquering the Mars and the Moon is not a sin but depriving a commoner of his/her birth right is indeed very tragic and tormenting.
The big politicians of the world have never been the real statesmen. A statesman cares about the welfare of the people while as a politician cares about its absolute power to extend its rule over others, least bothering about the welfare and development of people. The pages of the history are testimony to the fact that rulers like Hazrat Ummar Bin Khataab (RA) were the real statesmen of the world.
With a kingdom spread over twenty two lakh square miles, the caliph (Khalif) had no fort to live in, had a single pair of dress to wear. He (RA) would often be seen in the graveyards of Madina. And our ambitious politicians have put the whole humanity on a pile of bombs to exhibit their false rule and hollow showoff.
Now, the whole world has understood their vision and mission. These ambitious killers have left the world barren. I challenge them to try their atomic bombs and highly skilled military to kill this tiny virus which is not even visible to our naked eyes. It is a proven fact that ambitions lead to disasters. The present crisis is the result of this ambitious approach of our so-called leaders. Had they been sincere and honest rulers, then the world would not have been short of ventilators and medical infrastructure. It is pathetic to mention here that the country like America is begging before the world for ordinary face masks and hand sanitizers. And what is the scenario in the countries like India and Pakistan, one need not to mention.
Almost a year ago, I was about to board my car near the causality gate of SKIMS Soura Srinagar when my eyes caught sight of one of my close acquaints who was bitterly crying. I rushed towards him and enquired about his plight. He told me that his ailing mother was in dire need of a ventilator but all the available ventilators in SKIMS Soura were occupied.
I believe, now I need not to give data and figures of medical equipments available in our tertiary care hospitals. And the story is not altogether different in most of the subcontinent nations. After the colonial rule, subcontinent won its freedom but ambitious rulers didn’t let our chains to break.
We are still facing the pangs of poverty, hunger, casteism, illiteracy and above all poor and substandard healthcare facilities. A big chunk of populace in the subcontinent has no access to any kind of medical facilities. The pandemic has unveiled the real designs of our political giants who would boast big of their political manifestoes and liberal outlooks. These hypocrites stand exposed to the masses, and they are accountable to them.
If analysts and experts are to be believed, India and Pakistan will be the hotspot of COVID19. Given the density and the quantum of population in these two subcontinent nations, people may suffer immensely to poor healthcare facilities and services.
I am of the firm belief that the post Corona period will cause big political changes in the world in general and the subcontinent in particular. Belligerence and provocation in the name of nationalism and communalism will no more lure the electorate. These hypocrites should get ready for changes beyond their imaginations.
Raising armies and investing on the defence of a nation, is not bad at all. But, investing only in the weapons of mass destruction to prove your awe and majesty is criminal and unpardonable.
We are not annoyed and jealous of your skyscrapers but neglecting common masses is not lesser than being criminal and unjust. Now, it is over and out. Let the world seek a new system of governance. Your communism, nationalism, socialism, communalism and liberalism have been proven irrelevant and obsolete. From Chanakya to Machiavelli, all the models have proven inefficient to govern the world harmoniously. I guarantee the world that the model of Mohammad (PBUH) will get you rid of all the worries and problems.
And who knows that the present crisis is a natural calamity or a man-made catastrophe. If the social media sources are to be believed then the present pandemic has been created to monopolize the global economy.
If these sources are authentic and credible, then these so-called champions of humanity have pushed the world into the mouth of the monster called death. I don’t know how the blood of innocents suffices their consciences. Time will unfold and unveil the mystery behind this pandemic whether it was natural or artificial. But, one thing is clear that they were never the well-wishers of humanity.
(The Writer is a teacher. He can be reached at mushtaqhurra143@gmail.com)
