“ Life is what happens to you  when you  are busy making other plans “ . Our very existence  spins on  a collection of moments of sublime uncertainty. Fear and anxiety encircle us. The question ‘ What If ‘gathers around us a maze of thoughts which we either try to overcome or overlook but cannot certainly ignore. 

Wide Range of  What Ifs

What if I don’t get the promotion ? What if my son again fails to reap the desired profit in business? What if the marriage doesn’t work out ?

There can be more such agonizing fillips .The seemingly mindless sud of emotions  is endless. 

 Pandemic Peril

The unknown , unwelcome and unyielding virus has made lives miserable in more ways than one. The relentless spread of the disease combined with the lack of adequate health  infrastructure has made us seek refuge in prayers to the Almighty. 

It is not known when and how the wrath of the disease can be tamed . It seems as if the words What If is written large on the sullen face of humanity. 

Not New to the Unknown 

Let me ask you a question. Is human history completely new to the embrace of the unknown? The pages of the history book are a constant reminder of what humanity has traversed till now. 

 You must have heard about the Great Economic Depression of 1929. The mammoth US economy was  almost put to a halt. Unemployment , homelessness became part of the filigree of human struggle. No one knew how to fight back.

During the Second World War almost 3% of the World’s population was wiped off. The obvious ravages of war were loss of human life and destruction of physical capital. Men did not know where the surging unemployment would lead to.

What if the economy fails to bounce back ? What if the sacrileges of war continues for few more years? No one had the answer. It was a constant wait given able company by only the What ifs.

Present Crisis

The thrust of What If has been again  forced upon us with a ferocious slash by the raging pandemic of COVID 19. The media is flooded with reports of anecdotes of how people are suffering .  Some are crying to get admission in hospitals, others are gasping for Oxygen. 

Picking up the phone is equally terrifying. What If it is another missive of death?

Our Reaction

It is the human mind which comes to rescue. The blunt optimist will greet you with messages like ‘ Sun will definitely shine ‘. ‘ Every cloud has a silver       lining ‘ is scattered here and there without much thought. 

This toxic positivity is leading us nowhere. The saner approach would be to accept the present situation. It is grim and lets not indulge in spreading only false soulless hopes. 

Lets stand by each other with a pledge to reach out to each other in times of need. A touch is always kinder than a message. It is a sincere request to connect and contact with people dumped deep in the debris of the ongoing debacle.

Most important you must never look down upon the power of humour . “ What if the dog fetches the stick back because it thinks you enjoy the   throwing ?”

What if the cruel canine  decides to unfold the third wave of disaster before us. Or What if the vaccine gives us a new lease of life and the Pandemic becomes part of history books.

 “ Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive .” Don’t make the What ifs the only epitaph of your life after you bid adieu to this world. 

God Bless.