Good morning Bangalore. I'm rather confused with the wave that is sweeping over our city. Somehow the fact that the Omicron is 'just like a cold' has swept the narrative of this city. More than 80 per cent of the population has a very cavalier attitude of 'it is what it is'.
The senior citizens are (rightfully) petrified because those who are afflicted are having a really bad time coping with their sickness. This includes the middle-aged and people with comorbidities. Harried doctors are trying to placate them by treating the symptoms, and I have known of people having a 'cocktail'
(I kid you not, this is what it is called!) of drugs costing a king's ransom. Apparently, this medicine too is been found to be quite ineffective (along with the slew of medicines given during the second wave)! Sometimes I’m inclined to believe the conspiracy theorists who claim the pharma companies are out to make their pound of flesh by selling us nonsense and convincing us by talking balderdash!
Unfortunately, the reckless head of state of a country where the 'sun never sets' is winning fans amongst the young and the restless. They are even going as far as to say 'the only way we can beat the virus is by going about our business as before, mask-less, reckless, and fearless'.
Impatience is not the answer. This virus has forced some of us to look at the bigger picture of being a 'we' rather than 'just me'. But then again, everyone has their own limits and let’s face it, nothing is the way it used to be for a long time now.
I am all 'boostered' and vaccinated and yet not totally safe. But then again, what is safe and what isn't? I know that many of my friends living abroad have lost their parents and many have been unable to come down to perform their last rights. Strangers have filled in for family members that have been missing. There is a certain desperation when looks into the eyes of people.
The younger ones are disenchanted, even desperate. I have sometimes caught a look in their eyes which screams, 'Why must I be kept a prisoner because you older people are vulnerable'? I too wonder why? Have we been on this planet long enough? I never looked at myself as either redundant or passé. I am still an agile-minded contributor, then why am not strong enough or swift enough to withstand 'this'.
Sometimes I think the Darwin-esque theory is right. The survival must be of the fittest. The youngsters (school and college going children) don’t say it but feel it. Why must the older generation survive at their expense?
Why must they be cooped up at home, not go to school and college, dance, sing and make love? They have an agenda that says, 'It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’ and perhaps they are right.'
Perhaps it’s not the meek that shall inherit the earth. Perhaps everyone over 50 has lived too long. Perhaps it’s time to make and give space.
My favourite nephew is getting married. His celebrations have the minimum number of people attending. The bride’s wide eyes are clouded over with disappointment. Many guests have opted out. I too am in two minds whether to attend or not. Going out, meeting people and attending functions is a calculated risk. I am saving myself for an emergency.
My sister asked me why I was so afraid of dying and I had no answer. Perhaps I’m not afraid of dying as much as I am afraid of languishing as a sick person. It has come to this. There will be an infection but no death or hospitalisation. You will live, but nobody can say how. Perhaps next week will be better. As they say in Spanish, quizás!
(The writer's views are her own)