(Disclaimer : I wrote this back in May 2020)

Before I begin let me clarify I am not a medical professional but I would definitely consider myself a ‘science enthusiast’ . All opinions expressed here are my own and may or may not have been taken or shaped from what I read on the Internet or the mainstream media.

More importantly I write this as an artist and person affected by the maniacal carnage that has been unleashed on the world by a microscopic virus.

I belong to a category of one of those many people who are distraut by a ripple of the ripple caused by the throwing of a large boulder into a pond. Of course I am not the only one. There are millions more like me. That is why I write this.

First let me tell you about the thing I am most afraid of in this world. It’s quite a general fear; most of us feel it… It is the fear of the creepy crawlies; a common house lizard, a gecko, quite abundant in this part of the world. It makes my insides freeze and all rational thought disappears for a few seconds. Slowly adrenaline kicks in, and I tell myself to be brave, that it is probably more afraid of me than I am of it. So I shouldn’t get so paranoid. That it’s not going to randomly fall on me nor does it want to climb up on me or anything of that sort. Even if it does, it is a tiny little thing which doesnt innately harbour hate for humans.

All of this takes a while of course. At the same time my heart is thumping in my throat at a 100 bpm. This is the most fear I have ever felt.  As I’ve grown up I’ve come to terms with the fact that lizards are always going to exist, that I have to level up and get over my fears to live a normal life in this world. It is not possible to destroy every single lizard in the world. I just have to leap over and above this. This transformation obviously will not take place over night but it is a pleasant thing to strive for and work towards. I am glad to say I have come a long way in conquering this plight and that with rational thought atleast it is a bit better to live with everyday.

Before I go about making blatant analogies, yes, lizards are in no way lethally dangerous to the life of a certain demographic of the population. Agreed. For one, they don’t spread from person to person. The only thing that the two things have in common is that most people fear it. Therefore all the fear mongering that is woven around the virus makes it seem even worse than the black plague to some people.

No doubt it is quite horrible, largely because the statistics say so. I think it’s safe to admit that things are never going to be the same again. We all have a lot to adapt to. But there should be nothing that stops us from going out there and being proactive in getting used to a change. In other words, ride the curve only to emerge stronger. It’s more mental than physical. Being afraid of it hasn’t got anyone anywhere. 

Rachita