August 9, 2021: Its like living in Jurassic Park

August 9, 2021: Its like living in Jurassic Park. There was a famous line in the second movie about the fictional theme park with dinosaurs. The first movie did not bode well for the park, but the people did not learn from the experience, and they went ahead and built a second park where there was a false sense of security and much anticipation. There was a famous line in one of the movies, “Ooh, ah,’ that’s how it always starts. But then later there’s running and screaming.” Because nature, when threatened always finds a way. That was early April in Calcutta. The “ooh” and “aahs” things were good, all OK, then came the middle of April, and early May, and there was the screaming and the deaths. Nature found a way, and our euphoria led to the running and screaming. And today, in the middle of August, we are seeing a lot of the “oohs” as we fearlessly, in Florida, send our children to school without protection. The oohs and aahs. Hopefully the running and screaming will not follow. Would you smoke in a room full of children? That would be irresponsible even punishable. That is unquestioned. But in the surreal space I am in now, watching different channels on TV it appears that there are two parallel universes that make up this space. Multiverse has come true. The virus has made a pact with us. It has made us acquiesce to its call, “You are either with us or against us” the virus says. The human army of the virus, armed with unvaccinated blood and an uncovered face, fights on for the virus. I saw this happen in another place. I wrote about it. And now I am thrust in a place where it is about to happen. There are more patients hospitalized today than the number from a year ago. And we supposedly returned to a pre-Covid normal. It is baffling hearing responsible people claim that we can now be exactly like it used to be before the pandemic hit. Then, should we continue to remain afraid? Is it not time to forge ahead, leave our fears behind? The oohs and aahs. Or is it to be wise and say that we step forward not foolishly, not nervously, but wisely – with imagination and creativity. Sounding like a broken record, I say again, innovate the future, not fossilize to the past. There are people doing that, a bondhu far away prepares a business presentation – with intelligence, hard work, caution, and protection. As another bondhu said once, “tap the break, do not floor it.” Decelerate, find an alternative road but reach your destination alive, not dead. I witnessed the foolhardy acceleration. The unmasked political rallies. Faith trumping caution. Thousands by the river. We accelerated and then slammed the brakes. And the ICU beds disappeared, today in a pediatric section in a hospital all ICU beds are occupied, I heard on the news. I never thought I would write this again, “let that sink in” - all pediatric ICU beds are occupied. In a figurative quickly approaching tomorrow, will children be bullied if they chose to try to stay away from the ICU beds? The children who dare wear a mask in the classroom. It will be allowed by policy, but will it be doomed by reality? The scared and the weak wear masks. Yet, these are the ones decelerating, tapping the break, wanting to find an alternative route. Allow them. They may lead the way when some have to slam the breaks and get trapped under an airbag. Think. Do what the Beatles said, “Do what you want to do/And go where you're going to/Think for yourself/'Cause I won't be there with you” when the oohs and aahs are over and the screaming begins. Again.