Pandemic Politics
Being a huge cricket fan, I was watching a T20 match between India and Australia being played at Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia. It was being telecast live in Los Angeles, USA. The only problem was due to the time difference between the two countries located on two continents, it was starting in the middle of the night, at 12:10 A.M. Yes, you read it right, A.M. However, it didn’t bother me at all (did I mention that I’m a huge cricket fan?)
However, I was in for a surprise. The stadium was full of fans enjoying the game. The attendance was around 33,000 spectators. What!? 33,000! I thought. That can’t be right. But it was. Australia had completely lifted all the restrictions. Why can’t we have it here? I envied. Oh yes, the stupid, f#!@ing politics.
We seem to be so far behind the curve. It’s poor leadership. We are steering a mammoth ship without a captain. Thankfully (and hopefully), it will all change soon with proper leadership when science is given the right (and well-deserved) place.
Even the country of India (where I was born and raised before migrating to the US) has implemented masking laws. They got it right. With three times the population of the US and one-third the size, it’s almost impossible to keep a social distance. The Indian government has tackled this issue with a practical approach. Everyone HAS to wear a mask in public…no ifs, ands, or buts. Even when one is driving solo in his or her vehicle, (s)he has to have the mask dangling on the chin, ready to cover the face at a moment’s notice.
And both, the Indian and the Australian, governments have a right-wing leader. So, what’s the difference, I thought. Logic. People there seem to be taking the pandemic much more seriously. They have gone through hardship for some time and come out with a practical solution that enables them to enjoy life sooner.
We too can achieve this if a collective shift is made in our thinking, stop thinking like “I” and start being “we.” Let’s put our political affiliations aside and treat this as a challenge we all need to solve. This is war, and our country is under attack. Instead of blaming who initiated it, it’s more constructive to tackle this as an urgent emergency.
2020 was a horrible year, not just for the US, but the entire world. Now, many countries see a bright light at the end of the gloomy tunnel. We too can emerge out of it in 2021 if we respect one another and our scientists and doctors. We can only achieve this if we stop the bitter infighting and collectively tackle a common problem. We are so bitterly divided that we are cutting our noses to spite our faces. After all, the virus doesn’t care about your political leanings. It’s an equal-opportunity-destroyer.
