A Black Monday

There are endless possibilities that could cripple or destroy our civilization. It could be a large asteroid hurtling towards us. A nearby star, nebula, meteor, comet on its gaseous way to explosion. Or global warming of our own making, which is so intense that a mammoth solar flare is triggered. Yes, we can pass the buck on to gravity because it is always easier to blame Science than to understand the Art of the Universe.

Life is so unpredictable. Who knows what will happen next? While we are caught up with battles between the masses and the corrupt leaders, one fine day, we could all get entombed by a monumental earthquake. While we are immersed in the waves of stocks and shares, and the Bulls and the Bears, our planet could suddenly be hit by a titanic tsunami.

While we continue to battle with the deluge of hunger, poverty, joblessness and health issues, we could suddenly get engulfed in a massive flood. While the fake Babas continue to fool the public with their torrential downpour of superstitions, we could all get swept off by a colossal cyclone.

While the lava of hatred continuously keeps getting spouted on social media, we could all suddenly be submerged in a volcanic eruption. While we burn in fury trying to prove to each other that ‘your religion is better than mine, one fine day we could ALL get charred in a blistering wildfire. YES. It is only human that we accredit all this to ‘Naseeb’. After all, it is always easier to blame God, or Fate, than to fix things.

This Monday a terrible earthquake rocked the wide swath of Turkey and Syria, toppling hundreds of buildings, killing thousands of people, injuring tens of thousands, thus making it the worst tragedy ever in the living memory of the nation. As rescue workers are still searching across the mounds of wreckage in cities and towns, the WHO believes that the toll could easily cross 20, 000 or more.

Somehow this dreadful incident reminds me of the Gujarat earthquake that hit the state in 2001, killing about 20,000, injuring a few hundred thousand and destroying nearly 340,000 buildings.

It reminds me of the Super Cyclone of Odisha during the turn of the millennium when tragedy struck in mammoth proportions. Some say 10,000 lives were lost. Others say it was 15,000. Some even swear it was 20,000. However, unofficial sources estimated the toll to be above 50,000.

It reminds me of ALL the ‘natural’ disasters where there is massive loss of humans, animals, vegetation and houses.

It reminds me of the relentless massacre of the environment every time such tragedies take place, because we have foolishly replaced our traditional structures with designs that aren’t capable of withstanding the severe impacts of nature.

It reminds me of the mathematical whitewashing of official and unofficial figures, thus condensing human lives to mere numbers. And reducing the pain of the survivors to a joke that is so funny, you are forced to laugh until you cry.

We are all descendants or contemporaries of various man-made and natural catastrophes. We continue to live our lives straddling between memory and forgetfulness. Weeks from now Turkey, like Kerala, like Odisha, and like the many other catastrophes will be an old story, erased from our memories and forgotten with time.

But life will never be the same for some. No amount of blankets or clothes can make up for a washed away child. No amount of food can make up for a missing spouse or a lost parent. No amount of candles or medicines can brighten or mend a broken home. For these will be wounds so deep, that no amount of ‘relief’ can heal.

It is really amusing to just sit and wait for the Universe to suck us into its Black Hole, when Man has been blessed with a unique flair for killing everything s…o…f...t...l...y. It is hilarious to wait for Mother Nature to accomplish the Apocalypse when her children are gifted with a distinct flair for turning all her safety zones into danger. And all danger zones into disasters!

The book of Genesis tells the story of God's creation.

On the first day, God said ‘Let there be light’. And the darkness evaporated.

On the second day He created the inverted azure bowl called the sky.

Dry land and plants were created on the third day.

On the fourth day, the Sun, the Moon and the Stars were created.

Creatures that live in the sea and those that fly were formed on the 5th day.

On the sixth day, God created the animals that live on the land. Finally He created Man.

On the 7th day He rested.

Or so He thought! Little did He know that Man would keep Him so busy with his irresponsible acts that He would have absolutely no time to rest! Little did He know that what he thought He was creating in His own image would soon turn out to be Weapons of Mass Destruction.

What will it take for us to understand that we are the keepers of the Earth? We cannot expect divine intervention every time and not play our part in being more responsible. After all, God helps only those who help themselves.

Moreover, our progeny will NEVER forgive us if we continue to behave so recklessly. Our planet is our home. We need to protect it. Not only for our own survival, but also for the enjoyment and the prospect of having future generations enjoy it. When will we learn? When will we EVER learn?

May the dead Rest in Peace. Those who have survived the devastation, may they never be haunted with memories of the damage and the destruction. And. May the survivors never be driven to become refugees in strange lands. Or, worse still, may they never have to live like strangers in their own land.

Cover Photograph AP News