Who are we? Really, who are we?

In what way have we shaped the society?

We keep crying that the government doesn’t do this and doesn’t do that, what do we do?

You may choose to hold someone else accountable for what happened. Let me open your eyes.

The fact that you were expecting the government to be able to handle this tragedy is itself selfish.

You knew that wasn’t possible. You knew we don’t have politicians who really have this kind of will. You knew all along how it is, even before this hit.

If you did not, I don’t know what you did reading last 75 years of India’s politics and history.

It was and is myopic to believe that government will do anything that is efficient when we ourselves run for Government Jobs because they require less work and effort.

While it is definitely a very big failure of the government, it’s a bigger failure of us, as a nation, as a society and as humans.

Japan isn’t Japan not only because they have a very good government. South Korea did not defeat the virus just because their government was good.

Bhutan did not manage >90% coverage of vaccinations in two weeks just because of its well functioning government.

If you feel that is the case, you are all the way wrong…

<20% population in big cities was using a mask. We forgot social distancing. We forgot that covid shouldn’t go underreported. We forgot we aren’t supposed to go in a party when we have covid symptoms. We have <35% coverage for 45+ population. There are states as large as Rajasthan ruled by opposition who have > 60%.

And when the country is burning. We find a scapegoat to hide our wrongs. Sure, government could have done way better. But if we would have done even slightly better that what we did, we wouldn’t be here.

DID YOU NOT ALREADY KNOW? THAT THINGS ARE LIKE THIS?

I am certain everybody did. We have less than 1 bed for every 1000 people on average in the country. This was bound to happen.

WHAT DID WE DO? nothing

WHAT ARE WE DOING? blaming the government

There are daily atleast 5 people whom I am not able to help in a day because I alone can’t. I with a friend of mine try to help atleast 2-3 people in a day. That puts me in trauma. In the morning we get messages like:

The person who we could not arrange plasma for, died.

Why? Because I spent my energy arranging plasma for someone else. We are clearly less on resources.

While you may see 1000 stories amplifying the help messages. What they do in real is very less until you put your sweat to find help. Until you call 10 people.

WE ARE FUCKING DENYING FOOD TO PEOPLE TESTING POSITIVE. That’s the least one can do.

We put stories saying plasma is needed and write “DM 123457836648 if you have leads”. Not for a moment do we think what that family might be going through. How we can help them by separating out the signal from the noise.

NO. The government did not fail us. We failed ourselves. The fact that we were waiting for the government like they are some gods failed us. The fact that we did nothing and we still are doing nothing failed us. The fact that rather than helping out someone, we are black marketing essential drugs, oxygen failed us.

The fact that we as a society still can’t be together at this moment is what failed us.

The fact that we are denying to give food to those in need is where we lost the cause of our lives.

The fact that all youth in this country is not coming up and volunteering to fix this is what’s the most miserable part of this pandemic.

Its not about choice/comfort/time anymore. How many deaths would it take for you to come out of the illusion that your help is not needed?

I don’t know about you, but this pandemic has shown me a mirror. In the reflection I can now clearly see who we are. I can clearly see how deep in shit we are.

I sign off with rage, tears and hopelessness.