The world ended 2019 with the news that a mystery respiratory virus had been discovered in the animal market of Wuhan, China. What seemed to be a minor piece of news at the time has now evolved into a global pandemic. There is a force among us that is invisible to the human eye but strong enough to wipe out the lives of millions of people in a short period of time. It is, without a doubt, a challenging situation for the entire planet. For our own sake, it necessitates that we take a few simple yet necessary steps. The question is, have we yet realised how important it is to take these precautions?

Although most of us are binge-watching shows and whining about our messed-up schedules from the safety of our houses, even more are bravely braving the elements. We are lucky to have doctors and nurses who selflessly put themselves in tense hospital conditions every day to ensure that we are not exposed to the confines of an isolation ward again. We should be grateful to the cops who are continuously guiding us back to the safety of our homes when their own lives are on the line. Let us not forget about the manual scavengers who continue to clean up our garbage. We should be proud of scientists all over the world who are devoting every ounce of their expertise and experience to developing a vaccine that works. Humans will have less physical interaction, which will not only relieve the intense stress on their minds, but will also speed up the process of ‘flattening the curve.’ At the same time, seeing reports like “infuriated people pelting stones on the local police,” “COVID positive patient reportedly fled the hospital, refusing to be held in isolation,” and “Public is blatantly breaking rules while being in the fourth step of lockdown” is disheartening. All we have to do is stay inside and only go outside if absolutely necessary.

It took a pandemic to make us understand the value of protecting our own and others’ welfare. Nature has hit us in the face by infecting us with this virus, a really clever way of saying, “You can’t survive without me.” But I can’t do it without you.’ Nature is giggling hysterically at us because we disregarded its cries.

Who knew a fictional character could reliably predict the future when Tony Stark said, “I’m sorry, the Earth is closed today.” It is in our hands to determine whether or not the Earth will stay closed in the future.