Half A Year Of Fear And Learning

Dear Readers,

Can you believe it’s been six months since our nation went into Lockdown, on 25 March this year?

Yes, half a year of our lives has been consumed by the dreaded novel coronavirus – it’s been a half year of sanitizers, masks and social distancing… Of fear and panic as the numbers of COVID-19 positive cases spiked and continue to do so, most recently at the rate of nearly a-lakh-a-day in India… Of resistance, which has now eventually morphed into the acceptance of the new normal… Of keen anticipation and hope for the development of a vaccine to protect us from this evil disease… But most of all, it’s been a half year of learning some of the most integral lessons of life and of survival – some new, some renewed. A jumpstart of sorts…

Never has the need and significance for the human connect been at such a premium. Yes, connect. Not to be mistaken with ‘networking’ – the hitherto buzzword and mantra for professional success, which has now been relegated to a much lower priority, after the pandemic provided the human race with a resoundingly rude reminder of ‘what really matters’.

And what really does matter, and what it all really comes down to, is human compassion for all of God’s creations, and especially for the less fortunate. Taking a leaf out of this Book of Wisdom, Parsi Times introduces the ‘Parsi Times LIFELINE’ initiative, in aid of senior community members, who are helpless and live in dire conditions. PT will collect details of such seniors and share the same with our magnanimous Community Trusts, which are committed to providing relief and rescue to elders living in abject circumstances. I request all our readers to kindly point us in the direction of any such seniors by emailing us the details at editor@parsi-times.com.

Winston Churchill’s famous quote, “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” comes to mind, even as we grapple with this mother of all crises. And yet, we would have wasted it if we do not learn the crucial lesson of ‘the greater good over personal gains’ and use this crisis as a turning point for growth and goodness – as individuals, as a community and as a nation.

Have a good weekend!

– Anahita