From the safety of being secure in a branch of a tree, this Kingfisher prepared itesef to fly away into the open!
How much of safety and how long!
This is what bothered me a lot during the last two weeks since the daily reporting of COVID spread exceeded 35000 each day in the state of Kerala. I continued working from the hospital whole of the last week. I was required to shift to working from home from this Tuesday. I have no idea as to how it would turn out to be in the coming few weeks since the state has introduced a pale version of lock down.
I continue to be disturbed by this situation. It is a difficult time when normal cautions are needed. Working in a restricted environment wearing mask and not see each other face to face is an unnatural feeling for many. I heard discussions about it and felt concerned about the cumulative stress that come upon health care professionals.
Seeing a video of a resident doctor confessing about the awful personal stress on account of seeing patients waiting to be put on oxygen support or people die of asphyxiation as oxygen support did not arrive on time, made me feel lost and exasperated!
I wonder how the Election Commission of India did not sense the havoc of rapid spread of the infection in the community if the usual electioneering was allowed! The Prime Minister of India and the Home mInister led the campaigns without elementary respect for COVID time protocols! Now the honourable the Supreme Court and the Hight Courts area asking embarrassing questions to the Election Commission and to the Government of India after a terrible damage has been done to millions and many who lost their lives! As if that was not alone, the new vaccination policy of pricing the vaccine at a higher level for state governments than what the Government of India pays the vaccine companies expose the insensitivity with which those in authority approach disaster of the century. All the decibels and semantics appear in the words of the Prime Minister, but they do not drive people to act wisely or alleviate the pain of those who suffer and many who die ahead of their time.
So I ask whether the tree branch is safe for the Kingfisher or the open sky to find another shelter!
The Kingfisher moves from place to place searching for a water terrain to find its feed. It instinct is to fend for itself.
Is that the instinct of mission of humans!
A gentleman sold his SUV to buy oxygen cylinders and set up an oxygen booth for anyone to use till he or she can find a bed in a hospital. His movement was from personal security to vulnerability, but with a determination to be altruistic at this time.
The New Indian Express stopped reporting about IPL games as its editorial board felt that it was a time to be engaged in service and not in entertainment, which is a luxury at this pandemic season.
Few families got together to run a community kitchen to send food packets to patients in the hospital and for the health workers, as the hospital canteen had to be closed due to the canteen staff turning COVID positive.
Move from safety to a serving role- that is what the above three examples reveal!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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