3 Mistakes Of The Pandemic, And Lessons From It

The underage optimist

- Chetan Bhagat

We’ve seen it all. People gasping and begging for oxygen. Parking lots converted to cremation grounds. Bodies floating in rivers. Worse, India suffered in 2021 when vaccines are already available, and many countries are getting out of the Covid crisis. The US just eased indoor mask restrictions. The UK reopened live theatre last week. China returned to normal months ago. We could try and deflect blame, but deep down we know we are responsible for this mess. Our leadership failed us. Ironically, it is also the most popular, most glorified, most celebrated and most supported leadership since Independence. Hence, some responsibility does lie with us citizens too, who believed this is the best government of all time.

If the apocalypse we saw in the last few months doesn’t teach us some valuable lessons, nothing will. No, the world media isn’t ‘out to get us’ or ‘jealous/ worried that we will be the next superpower’. They don’t actually care about us. Maybe deep down they see us as fools, lost in our delusions about a glorious religion and culture, even as bodies float in the same holy river that we worship.