Whether you are opening up Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, all you see, one post after the next, is something about the Corona virus – AKA: COVID-19. It’s the talk of the town. Rather, it’s the talk of the world. Never have I seen such a thing. Never have I lived such trying times. Never would I have thought I would feel like I am in the middle of a war.

Indeed, it feels like it’s a war. Some speculate and say it is in fact a political war. This war is different than the ones we heard of, perhaps from our parents and grandparents who lived through it.  This is an advanced scientific war of viruses, a war that silently arrives and cuts your throat while you are asleep, a war that sneaks up on you and attacks when you were least expecting it.

This Corona virus snuck up on us when none of us were prepared for it in any shape or form. Even the most advanced countries are falling to its knees, trying to grasp what just hit them. Some countries were not affected to the degree of others in the beginning, then it spread and defied all precautions. It’s a new virus and at the end of the day, you can’t predict what it will do, you have no idea how far it will go, you were never prepared for it. So how do you expect to fight it or keep it under control.

You watch the news and everyday there is a new update with governments taking new measures to contain the virus and protect their people. Every country handles their situation differently. Some take it seriously from day one and do everything in their power to prevent the spread. Other countries underestimate the destructive power of this virus and the danger it poses on its people. They don’t take the extreme measures necessary. They were not prepared for such an enemy to attack their people. The thought never even crossed their minds. And now, they cry and pray for a miracle, when things have spiraled and got out of hand so fast. They lost many lives. Their medical system can’t handle this pressure. They are asking for help from other countries who are in crisis themselves. They are drowning and they desperately need a lifeline.

Then you have countries who try to show the world that they have this under control. They are going to beat this thing and will not allow fear to take over. They will tackle this virus and it will be controlled at all costs, by the measures they are taking to protect their people. Unfortunately, those countries still don’t get it. As a result of their arrogance, thinking they are above this virus, and that they are doing better than others or even ahead of the curve, they are being brought to their knees as their numbers of COVID-19 cases rise dramatically and abruptly overnight. The measures they have taken, are mediocre. Sadly, they will never admit it. And who pays the price, the people, the ones that die.

Having said that, it’s easy to judge and criticize when you are not in the position of these government officials, presidents, prime ministers, Kings and Queens. When you are inside the mess, it’s different from when you are outside it. Sometimes what seems like common sense to the average Man, and what seems to be the obvious, isn’t necessarily the case with the people running their countries. There are many more factors, complications, limitations and so forth that we, the people may not be aware of. Many times, there are pressures that we have no knowledge of, but we are quick to point fingers. By no means am I excusing the lack of swift action and enforcing measures for the safety of the public. I am not condoning the fact that some countries or perhaps most, were more concerned about the fallouts of the economy, their businesses, their stocks, ie: their financial gains and losses.

Every country tried to minimize the damage that was inevitable. Every ruler of every country was hesitant in making decisions that will affect millions of people and changing the future of their country. Sadly, many rulers and those in powerful roles in governments were focusing their attention on the effect of this virus in our future, our tomorrow, rather than being present and realizing that action needs to be taken to save the lives of people now, not tomorrow, but this minute right here.

The good news is, the situation is changing every minute, every hour, every day. Regrettably each minute there may be someone dying somewhere in the world. In that same minute, someone is recovering and beating this virus. In the same moment, a new life arrives, a baby is born into this chaotic world with an uncertain future. And while lives are changing, a cure is being worked on, a vaccine is being tested, a country is shutting down its airspace, closing its borders, locking down its people and doing everything possible to protect them. While all this is going on, a nurse catches the virus and loses her or his life serving the public. A doctor that saved many lives gets exposed too many times to this deadly unpredictable virus and loses his or her life just the same. And many, many, more of these examples are happening, but we don’t hear about them.

While humanity is falling apart and we watch the greed and selfishness of some people, we also notice the good deeds, the kindness and compassion of others. We may have been struck by anger and disappointment of our fellow humans when we watched those videos of bulk buying and hoarding of medical supplies. But we also saw justice when those opportunists, trying to take advantage of a dire situation to make an unbelievable profit by selling masks, sanitizers and gloves at a ridiculous amount. They end up being caught, stopped in their tracks and forced to donate all what they had bought to those who need it. The one thing we will never forget from this experience, is the toilet paper madness. There may have been a gazillion jokes over this. I would call this a pandemic on its own. As much as we all need humour in our lives in this tough time, we also need to take it easy and don’t over do it. More on that later.

Here is a food for thought, “why do we repeat doing something we liked over and over till we get bored of it?” Do you ever wonder?

Stay tuned for part 2 of Corona Effect – positives and negatives.

Thank you for reading. Please listen to the advice given, stay safe and most importantly – home.