From the Editors Desk
7 Community Vaccines For 2021!
Even before the pandemic hit us, we’ve been living unknowingly, through a number of somewhat equally distressing and harmful plagues… only, these are mental, emotional and behavioural in nature, as opposed to the deadly pathogenic invasion, that is the novel coronavirus.
We inadvertently house these hidden contagions, which, like the pathogenic counterpart, leaves our sensibilities (instead of our lungs) gasping for breath. Resulting in symptoms like loneliness, depression, selfishness, emotional indifference and lack of compassion, these contagions, which come camouflaged in ‘good intent’, often lead to the demise of what matters most of all – the human connect, our relationships with each other and with all of His creations.
Our community is no stranger to these contagions… over time, we’ve become jaded and sometimes, a little self-obsessive. Shining on the surface as the symbol of a philanthropic, peace-loving, progressive and fair people, the community’s lacklustre underbelly is no secret, even as intolerance, insolence and indifference nurture a growing divide amongst us, tearing away at the very fabric of our community’s welfare, ethos and glory.
Even as pharmaceutical industries worldwide focus on developing and bettering vaccines to control the COVID-19 pandemic and its unwelcome new strains, wouldn’t it be great if we could also develop and nurture our very own attitude-based-vaccines to tackle some of the maladies that ail our community? Here’s a list of 7 Community Vaccines which will tackle the emotional/ behavioural infection mentioned alongside, so that 2021 truly turns out to be a Happy New Year!
- The Disunity Vaccine: to be administered immediately to those who create and foster disunity in the community, by spreading falsehoods and twisting truths, and choosing to further blaze the fires with malicious intent, instead of putting it out with a solutionist approach.
- The Inability to Agree to Disagree Vaccine: A most-needed vaccine for those who refuse to consider another’s point of view or difference of opinion because they live the ‘my way or the highway’ life. Sadly, most end up just there – alone, on a secluded highway, to ponder their inflexibility!
- The Social Media Mayhem Vaccine: For all our ‘straight-forward’ social media enthusiasts, who ‘straight away forward’ any and every message without verifying its authenticity, oftentimes leading to much unnecessary panic and squabbling. This vaccine is especially for all our Whatsapp Warriors, Facebook Fascists and Armchair Activists who abuse the power of social media.
- The Not Letting Go Vaccine: This one, our community would need in huge lots, given our inherent inability to let go. We just can’t let go of anything – be it old grudges or worse, old favours we’ve done for others – we repeat our good deed till its lost all meaning! …And oh yes, there’s no way we can let go of positions of authority – even way after we have outlived both – its welcome and its tenure! There’s always mommies too who are unable to let go of their sons and the sons’ business!
- The Sense of Entitlement Vaccine: Another biggie! Many of us mistake our privilege for our rights. Instead of appreciating and living up to what has been handed to us gratis or at a great concession, thanks to the foresight of our visionary and industrious forefathers – like subsidized housing amongst other things – we believe we deserve it all, without having worked for or earned any of it! Gratitude has been replaced brazenly by entitlement.
- The Selfish Vaccine: for those whose lives revolve around their own conveniences – the rest be damned! Nurturing a delusional sense of superiority, they’re emotionally indifferent and uncaring about the sufferings and needs of others. Also perfect contenders for this vaccine, are those who are anti-inclusivity and believe that they are part of the chosen few who ‘deserve’ everything good that life has to offer. Their cold hearts could do with a hot shot of this vaccine, no?
- The Disrespect Vaccine: The biggest one of them all! If only there were a vaccine which could do away with the toxicity of disrespect… where we could once again respect all others – immaterial of conflicting opinions, values and choices; if we could nurture a healthy sense of respect for all of God’s creations, for our environment, for Mother Nature… as a community, as individuals and as global citizens… the world, indeed, would be a much better place in 2021!
Welcome to 2021, may we make it our best year yet!
– Anahita
