Has nature hit the reset button?
The CORONA VIRUS or COVID-19 has unquestionably consumed our lives, our social-media feeds, our conversations, and the way we interact with each other. The Government, media-outlets, and health-care advisors all over the world have cautioned people to stay indoors, practice social-distancing, and remain in temporary quarantine until further notice.
Amidst all the chaos, it is easy to get lost in a sea of fake news, banal Instagram updates, memes, and the endless stream of information coming from within our country as well as the others.
It is indeed a time to take precautionary measures, to listen to the advice given to us by the government and health care professionals and not make light of the situation at hand.
Amid the mass panic, it would be a shame to lose sight of the larger scheme of things coming to light.
During a time where we have no choice but to work from home, step outside only when necessary, and inadvertently practice minimalism, we unwittingly aid the planet hit refresh.
Due to the lack of human activity, for the first time In forever, nature seems to be thriving.
Water bodies have never been cleaner, resulting in marine life making their way back to previously polluted areas, now free from human encroachment. The sky rapidly transitions into purple hues as opposed to its usual ashen shade, a result of the whole world coming to a stand-still.
I’m aware that during a time like this, the last thing on people’s minds is nature. But that’s precisely where it all begins and ends. If you’re still in denial about the impact we have, I urge you to pay attention. Look out your window and pay attention to the colour of the sky, breath in visibly cleaner air, look at the state of public beaches before the quarantine and after. It’s heartbreaking to see the kind of disregard we have for a place we call home.
It is easy to get lost in the constant inflow of media updates about death counts, the current state of the economy, bans on travel, and having normalcy cancelled indefinitely. But if we can take away anything from this situation, it should be the awareness of the fact that the planet will be fine without us, she’s visibly thriving in our absence.
As life comes to a halt, we could use this time to reflect and pay attention to the lesson this pandemic is trying to teach us.
Here’s hoping that the current state of affairs gets resolved, and the world makes a speedy recovery. Here’s also hoping that when life resumes as per usual, we learn to leave the unnecessary behind and only take what we need. If we all do our part, change is most certainly possible.
