By Zile Singh
Ambassador(Retd.)
“Better a little loss now than a long sorrow”
With the advent of COVID-19 – a viral Pandemic – the whole world is in the grip of an emergency situation. All human beings are at war with it. For all countries, it is an internal as well as external war. The financial crises also are looming large. In such a difficult time and situation, in addition to social distancing, self-quarantine and hand wash, courage and hope are the other tools which can help us to bear the brunt of this scourge. In such a war-like situation, what we have to do, is to know the enemy and to know yourself. Then the victory is never in doubt. He who knows neither the self nor the enemy will fail in every battle. By now we know the strategy of Corona Virus as to how it has been spreading for months and keeping its ugly head high. It is a known fact that it has been spreading in a geometrical progression from one infected person to another through ‘contact’. Nothing else but ‘contact.’ It has no feet of its own. Corona can travel only on human feet. So, the thumb rule is to break the chain of contacts through self-quarantine. Stand separate at ease and the enemy will be defeated.
As human beings, we should know our latent energy of head, heart and soul. Therefore, better be alone, than in the company of an already infectious individual or space. Safety lies in self-quarantine. The success depends on a positive role of hope and self-discipline. Without hope and strong will, it would be difficult for an individual to have the courage to overcome the grief. It is said, “ Hope is grief’s best music.”
In addition to individual responsibility, the war against Corona is a great responsibility of the State as well. These are the testing times for the leadership of the State. The leadership has to command with wisdom, integrity, compassion, courage and severity. Mr. Lester Pearson, a former Canadian Prime Minister once wrote in the context of handling the crisis as follows: “ Prime Ministers require the hide of a rhinoceros, the morals of St. Francis, the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the leadership of Napoleon, the magnetism of a Beatle and the subtlety of Machiavelli.” The leadership of each country needs these qualities to fight the pernicious ‘Coronavirus”. It is a matter of Public Health Crisis and more.
‘At an individual level, let us move forward with strong and active faith.” – said Franklin Roosevelt. In the above statement, Roosevelt’s faith is nothing but encouraging the masses to shun doubt and have hope for a better future. Any sort of doubt acts against courage and hope. Doubt and hope cannot go hand in hand. Courage is universal and it crosses all human boundaries of age, gender, race, religion and political considerations. Everyone needs it.
Proper and suitable action in the right direction is a pre-requisite to fight any battle. A fool’s paradise is nothing but sitting idle, day-dreaming and doing nothing but at the same time harbouring high hopes. It means that if you simply hope on something to happen at its own but do nothing to work towards it, then it is of no use. The real result is achieved when a genuine hope and right action are combined. There is a need to restrict our movements and physical contacts to the minimum. And also stop spreading false rumours and suggesting home-made prescriptions to ward off Corona. Creating an unnecessary hype on social media about Corona is not in the interest of the public.
Where there is hope, there is life. Never give up and never lose your hope. If you stumble, get up again. What happened yesterday no longer matters. Today is another day. Corona and other pandemics have happened in the past as well. We have a successful history of overpowering those deadly situations. It was possible through the combined efforts of all and sundry.
Buddhism primarily relate to our ability to transform suffering into happiness. In Islam, “The path to paradise involves trials and tribulations. But never lose hope. It is just a test. The trials and tribulations will not last long. There is a saying, “This also shall pass.”
Look at the seas, sky, rivers, mountains, forests and the earth. Listen to the changing seasons and weathers. After every dark night, there is beautiful dawn and every black cloud has a silver lining. “We must accept finite disappointments, but never lose infinite hope”. – Martin Luther King Jr. In the present atmosphere, stockpiling things is against hope. It adds to crises.
Zile Singh is much respected Link Columnist, writer, a Vipassana Meditator and has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Rights. He can be reached at [email protected]
