Ever since Jesus Christ rose from the death and ascended to the heavens, his believers, down the generations to this day, have been waiting for his second return. The believers of Christ believe that the world will come to an end the day Christ returns in glory to this world. Even since the Second World War ended, many have feared that the outbreak of a third world war would totally annihilate all traces of life from this planet. Given the advanced artillery and nuclear weapons at our disposal, there would not be a fourth world war because another world war would be enough to end it all.
Scientists and researchers have always wondered whether there are aliens somewhere out there in the space waiting to be discovered someday. And some have dedicated their entire lives to this mission of finding or proving the existence of aliens in outer space. And this has resulted in the writing and creation of many books and documentaries. This fascination has also led to the making of many fictional stories, books and movies wherein humankind is depicted fighting for survival against the onslaught of aliens from outer space. Some scientists also believe that the whole universe was born when there was a sudden explosion called the Big Bang a long time ago. The believers of this Big Bang theory believe that another dramatic explosion may be needed to bring the whole universe to its logical conclusion.
Today, though Jesus Christ has not returned back, though a third world war has not broken out, though we are not being attacked by aliens, though our world has not been shaken by an explosion in the universe, we are facing a situation no less significant or dramatic than any of these eventualities. The outbreak and spread of the Corona virus has brought the whole world down on its knees and carved out a scenario the likes of which mankind has never seen in a thousand years.
Man has achieved so much in the field of science, technology and medicine that many a times we feel that there is nothing more to be achieved in these fields and that we are well prepared to handle and deal with any enemy that may endanger our existence on this planet. But how do you fight against something which is new, which spreads at alarming speed through humans and which is invisible?
Ever since World War 2 ended in 1945, many intellectuals and world organizations have brought forth the idea of the need to cut down the manufacturing of war weapons and the need to stop this armament race. But this idea has not been heeded by most nations even though they saw firsthand the catastrophic destruction of the war of 1939-45. This is clearly visible from the fact that many nations of the world today own nuclear weapons and sophisticated weapons including aircrafts, manned and unmanned drones, missiles, aircraft carrier ships etc which were all manufactured after 1945. And there is no need mentioning here that it takes an unbelievably huge amount of money and resources to build all these war equipments. There are also countries which spend millions of dollars in purchasing weaponry while many of its citizens die of hunger, malnutrition and struggle daily for even basic necessities like food, water, clothing and shelter. But today we find ourselves in a situation where all our sophisticated weaponry are of no use as we fight against an invisible enemy which can be anywhere waiting to devour and annihilate all of us.
While I was in high school, I read a poem wherein death was labeled as the great leveler. Yes, death is the ultimate reality that we all will face one day sooner or later. Death does not distinguish between the rich and the poor or the white and the black or the people from the east and the west or the people who worship the sun or the moon. And today we face a similar enemy who refuses to recognize whether we are black or white, whether we are from the east or the west, whether we have money or not, whether we have nuclear weapons or not and whether we believe the Bible, the Quran, the Gita or any other so-called word of God. We have come long enough thinking that we are smart, competent and prepared to face any situation that may come our way. But for once, humanity has been made to realize and acknowledge that all our so-called wisdom, knowledge, smartness and advancement may not be enough to save us when the doom is looming large over our horizon.
Many believers believe that Jesus Christ will return one day. Many also believe that any moment a world war may erupt again and annihilate the whole world. Many also have no problem in believing that someday some aliens may be discovered in the space and one day the whole world may be united in fighting against beings from outer space like we see in some movies. Many also may not find it difficult to believe that someday some comets, meteorites or asteroids may come into collision with the earth and break our planet into pieces. Yes, many may not find it difficult to believe all or any of these. But many normally will not believe that these eventualities will happen in their lifetime. Like for instance, when the titanic ship hit the iceberg and was about to sink, it was announced to the people on board that the majestic ship would sink in about 2 hours. But some on board did not believe the announcement even when the whole circumstances around them said that it was over. They found it too good to be true and did not believe they would die out there in the ocean while travelling in a ship considered unsinkable.
But today the outbreak and spread of this dreaded corona virus has made us realize that many things can indeed happen in our lifetime. The world may come to an end in our lifetime, Jesus may return in our lifetime, another world war may break out in our lifetime, aliens may be discovered in our lifetime and we may have to go to war with them and our planet earth may also collide with some other heavenly bodies in our lifetime and end it all. Yes, we may be here for only about some 80-90 years at the most but we may be a witness to any or many of these extraordinary and unbelievable eventualities. I think these are some valuable lessons which the dreaded virus has taught us.
Yes, today we need to come out of the ‘it will never happen to me’ and ‘it will not happen in my lifetime’ syndrome. Though public were advised to stay at home and avoid social gatherings, many did not heed because they want to think and believe that everything is normal, that they are going to be here always and that they are not going to die now. And in this way they live in denial and pretence fooling none but themselves. And the fight against this mentality is in itself another whole new battle.
The great economic depression of 1929 was a watershed event. It crippled the whole western economy and millions across Europe and America had to bear the brunt of it. Millions of people across these continents were rendered jobless and left totally frustrated. And this disgruntlement amongst the people created a perfect alibi for people like Adolf Hitler to take advantage of the frustration and rise to power and lead the world again into yet another world war.
Economists say that the great depression of 1929 was an unprecedented and unparalleled event which had never happened till then and is not likely to happen again for a long long time to come. But the Covid – 19 episode has once again put the world on the brink of another economic collapse which can be even more catastrophic than the one the world experienced 90 years ago.
So with the outbreak and spread of the corona virus, we can now see many eventualities which we had considered as impossible looming large over our horizon……..
