Stay Home, Stay Calm and FREAK THE HECK OUT
I’ve been contemplating writing this for a long, LONG time. But I didn’t have the courage – because I’m as coward af. I have been mentioning this to VJ a lot and he just shrugged (I think he knows I was going to do it anyway regardless of what he said). But I have been so disgruntled, anxious and depressed.
Disgruntled – because I haven’t been sleeping
Anxious – because I don’t know who is infected
Depressed – because I miss my bed.
Before I go on about this rant, I want to appreciate everyone who has been working so hard. Every single person who has to brave these scorching hot summer days to make sure that people are social distancing, people are not trying to have come out of their homes because they are bored, people are getting what is missing from their pantry to make banana bread and Domino’s garlic bread or even Dalgona Coffee. Thank you so much to each and everyone of you who are braving these times, risking your lives as well as your families to make sure that our families are safe.
And now let me rant – WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? This is about those people who are travelling more than 10 kilometers for “Salt”, yeah we believe you dude. Like seriously, you do not understand how dangerous it is for your family to venture out? I know I’m guilty too, I have gone out to get groceries to make pani puri – and I hate myself for doing that. I cannot believe that I do not have one ounce of will power and did not think of my parents or in-laws as I was doing this. Also to those who have been venturing out multiple times in a week for groceries to stores, please refrain from this, your family could be at risk too. The numbers that are being reported are people. They are HUMANS. You could have come across one in your life. Or maybe not. THREE MILLION AND MORE have been infected and over TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND have died while fighting this. They were someone’s grandparents, dads, husbands, brothers, sisters, mothers, grandparents and had friends. My colleague told me about the funeral he attended of his relative who lost the battle to the virus. It sent me down a spiral. They couldn’t be there for him. The coffin was alone in the church, the pastor at least 10 feet away. Even his children couldn’t be there. And I cried that night. I didn’t want anyone I know to get infected from it.
I know for some of you it feels like a vacation, but should you really be calling a GLOBAL PANDEMIC a vacation? People are losing their jobs, economies are on the verge of collapsing, daily wage workers have no way to earn their food, their children are starving, laborers who are stuck who tried to walk home have lost their lives, children have lost their lives because they have no food and while we need to empathize with them, us calling it a vacation is the absolute worst way to present ourselves during these trying times. How can you? Do you even have an ounce of empathy in yourself? Just because you clapped and lit a candle when the Prime Minister asked you to doesn’t mean that you are really thanking the workers on the front lines. Also the Prime Minister asked you to stay home and light a lamp, not go out and burn crackers and dance or have a rally. Stay home, follow social distancing, please stay home and then you have really thanked everyone who is risking their lives.
I’m not talking about this because I’m angry. I need to say this because I absolutely care. The people who have been venturing out are everyone I care deeply about. It’s upset me that highly educated humans don’t understand the severity of the situation. It just hurts me that they think of this as a vacation. If you are reading this, I’m seriously worried about you. I can’t sleep thinking the ‘what-if’s’. It’s been a crazy couple of week and I think that has been giving me a little anxiety too. But before you call it a vacation please take a moment to think about the following:
- Your parents who are at risk because of their age or because they have an underlying condition that you don’t know about
- Your grandparents because….
- Children who live close by because you are touching the elevators, doors, gates and everything around
- Yourself
- Everyone you know
Every time I have been stepping out for a walk to walk around the colony I have been freaking about everyone in the family – Arlo because his immune system is just developing, VJ because he had childhood asthma, myself because I have diabetes, my dad because he’s a cardiac patient and my mom who’s diabetic as well. Everytime I want to go out I remember who I am protecting and take a deep breath. I need to protect them. I need to protect my neighbors so that their 90 year old mother doesn’t get infected. Please stay home, please protect yourself, please protect those who need protecting and be empathetic.
Love,
Mahi
