There was a time when perfect rows of fates were linked. You only have to wait for it to come. Some are more predictable than others; the wheel of the world made sure that everything is in its place. What will happen when fates appear to get erased from existence? A standstill, one would reckon. A grander queue than the earth itself. A pause so abrupt, it threw the universe off the road. A confusion so profound, sending living beings to a state of suspension.
We started 2020 full of hope. The declaration of natural disasters being a blessing to the land, a global health emergency as gifts from the deities in charge of leisure, and an environmental reset. massive alteration of how we live, a chance to find our true bearing, an opportunity to discover new means of communication and life at large. Amidst the panic shopping, public service announcements, new work arrangements, and all that life seemed to throw at us collectively, we quickly realized that the situation is dire. Everyone is impacted in their ways, some more than others. We lost so much in so little time it is hard to believe everything that has happened.
Days have gone, seasons have passed, and we are still here, counting the minutes hopelessly, waiting for when venturing outside does not feel like a chivalrous quest. Words in the media brought more sorrow than comfort. Pictures on the screen flickering a horrifying reality where separation, death, and abandonment are just the evening news. We are not sure if we can trust the clock anymore, incessant pleading to those in power fell on deaf ears. Where is the help that we were promised? When will we be treated as human beings, instead of a statistic that is steadily increasing?
Human beings are hooked on tubes, on strings of vitamins. Some stuck onto a chair, with a set of hearing devices and a screen, shielding themselves from their surroundings, taking shelter in studies and work. Others gearing up to face another day outside, praying luck is on their side, as they move tirelessly from one task to another, each day a reminder of the days that have gone past. Front-liners are fighting for the continuity of our race, risking their own life for the price of another. Human beings are separated from one another, confined in a shared reality, but far from the comfort of companionship.
There are a million things that we want to do. Other people we want to see, dreams we want to chase. Yet the curve climbs rapidly, our energy and supplies dwindling. I do not think we are near the end, nor will the end be what we imagine it to be. Maybe it is time for the world to change, for fates to shift. Where to, is the question we may ask ourselves as we welcome this new year. How to, is the pressing matter befalling us human beings at large. Change is a slow process, yet here we are, still mesmerized with the word “instant”. In this modern world, the song of nature and the bustling of humankind has yet to create harmony. If this pandemic is nature’s way to balance the earth, will we be able to match its tempo?