Once upon a time, the world was One. It existed in harmony with all the elements of life, like paradise on earth. The laws of nature ran their course for many millenia before humans even entered the picture. Humans brought with them ingenuity, innovation and emotion, but also greed. The best of humanity sought to understand the Universe and live according to its ebbs and flows. They sought just enough to suit their needs and maintain the balance of life.

Then a time came when people saw fit to break the world into pieces, much like a jigsaw puzzle. But where a puzzle is meant to be put back together, these pieces started calling themselves ‘nations’ instead, and believing they were the only ones that mattered. They built fortress-like walls around their borders to protect them from the others. Those who were once their brothers and sisters, were now nothing more than fearsome ‘foreigners’. 

When the land was divided, some got luckier than others, with more resources at their disposal. ‘Sharing’ became a dirty word, while ‘selling’ became everything. Suddenly, the earth, which had been given to us so freely to share and protect, became a product with a price tag. We began to feel ownership over nature, when actually, nature wasn’t subject to any laws other than those dictated by the Universe.

Humans, much like nations, began amassing wealth and resources, at the expense of others. Their brilliance shined through in the systems they created, but their fears of never having enough overshadowed any instinct they had towards helping those in actual need. Children were sent to schools to soak in knowledge, but more often than not, came back having lost their sense of wonder, with brains steeped in facts, mixed messages about life and deep insecurities for the future.

Love, which once came from within and was given freely without expectation, was now shackled by all sorts of restrictions. With the jigsaw movement came rules about who and how it was okay to love, and any deviation from those rules was utter abomination. Love was given an easily commodifiable interpretation, and anyone without such love in their lives felt wholly unworthy. These people made for friends misery and mental anguish, instead. What use was their life if nobody loved them? They forgot they were loved by the most ultimate being of all. They forgot their worth was inherent, their talents essential and their beauty undeniable. They forgot all these things, so the rest of humanity punished them for it.

As is wont to happen in times of great upheaval, there were a few who benefitted from this broken arrangement. They were the ones who kept stoking the fear because they had something valuable to gain – the power to control the narrative. And everyone knows there is no greater power in this world than that. For he who controls the narrative has an army of puppets at his disposal. And puppets who do as they’re told without questioning, are indeed much more dangerous than any fearsome foreigner you could imagine.

The world was sprinting along at a dizzying rate, when she came along. No one had time to pause and reflect for too long because there was always the next project to be done, the next day to get through, the next box to tick mark. There were never enough hours in the day for anything, let alone stopping to appreciate the Universe’s blessings. 

It took the blink of an eye to change all that. The world was overtaken by a common enemy it called Corona. Through her severity and speed, Corona put the world in its place. People began realizing they were not as powerful or untouchable as they had once thought. In fact, they were downright helpless. They’d just never realized it. 

Corona has caused widespread destruction everywhere. But she’s also done something no president, no religious leader, no spiritual guru, prominent businessman or insightful writer has ever been able to do. She has brought the world together. She’s forced people into their homes, made them focus on their families and reflect on the things that truly matter. She’s humbled them, bringing out their best (and sometimes worst).

Corona has delivered a warning for all of humanity: Get your act together. Be united. Live with love, humility and faith. Help each other. There is no hamster wheel of life or ladder to success. There is no point in creating borders and labelling humans. No one ever wins in war. And the only one who is truly in control is the Universe. 

Corona was neither an accident, nor a well-inflicted plan by some enemy combatant. She was sent by the Universe as the ultimate course corrector. Throughout history, whenever the world has gone off balance, the Universe has found a way to restore order. Now, when so many of us have stopped caring about Mother Nature, the Universe has given us a preview of what happens when Mother Nature stops caring about us, too. 

Yes, this is just a preview. But it doesn’t have to be. It all depends on what we decide to do next.

Although we’d like to believe Corona is the enemy, she is actually just a messenger. The question is, are we actually listening to what she has to say? 

Are you? And if so, what is it that you hear?