By C.K. Subramaniam

Beaten with the Corona stick, we have become expressionless. It is in our nature to sprout and blossom; to reveal, revel and rejoice. Our gregarious instinct induces us to group together infests and parties. All these instincts are in an indefinite sabbatical.

The creative spark fails to emerge from its captivity. The therapeutic value of laughter and jokes as stress management techniques fail to operate. Somebody had famously said, “There are two kinds of people; one makes rules and other lives life”. Now, we are reduced to a single homogeneous kind of living by the rules.

New thoughts, new ideas are emerging to take the life out of the capsule. One of them is the value of sharing. Though it is not exactly new, it has gained a fresh dimension of newness. We are calling people to cheer them up as well as ourselves. Everyone is playing from inside to win the survival match. By-plays are not seen much. Even if they are, they have lost their former charm.

In this troubled time, thoughts are no more small wells of wonder; they have all merged into the vast ocean of thoughtlessness. Religion, as it is practiced, has become inconsequential. Though Durkheim considered religion to be non-rational mass acceptance, rationality itself is losing meaning.

Collapse of religion

Faith often provided an escape route to gain composure and dodge the impossible task of decoding the mystery of nature. It also supported an economy for the priests, florists, and all those small vendors selling the puja accessories. The whole edifice of religion has collapsed, at least temporarily.

We are now bound to act softly and try to share the sorrow of others. We did contribute to the poor and make our presence felt. We are having the heart to love people and follow the guidelines given by the society. Mankind will surely emerge triumphantly and Science will not fail us. As of now, all we can do is a bit of sharing.