We are mere puppets in the hand of the almighty: Essay

ICSE / CBSE essay on the topic “We are mere puppets in the hand of the almighty”.

Mankind has made tremendous progress in the last couple of centuries, and many of us today are raised in an environment where we are made to believe that we can control almost anything. The Covid-19 pandemic that has engulfed the world points to something that many of us have not been conditioned to believe in, that humans could be mere puppets in the hand of the almighty. But even if that statement was true, it’s for humans to show their courageous side, prepare to deal with the situation, and believe that the battle can be won.

Coronavirus, which originated in China, has claimed hundreds and thousands of deaths worldwide and the highest number of casualties happen to be in the United States, the most powerful and the most advanced nation on earth. The virus has forced everyone to stay at home as governments have enforced lockdowns everywhere; industries have been severely affected and millions of people worldwide are staring at possible job losses. The several freedoms that people use to take for granted seem to have been suddenly taken away; and the worst part is that we all are feeling helpless about the situation and are just waiting for something miraculous to happen.

So, when everything around us seems to be beyond our control, you hear people talking about things like “we are mere puppets in the hand of the almighty”, that “everything in life is scripted” and that there is a much bigger force that is controlling things in our lives. People talk about predictions made by certain astrologers as to how 2020 is going to be a disaster for mankind.

While I have not been conditioned to think so, I think a lot of people are saying this right now because they don’t have control over the circumstances. These same people may have said otherwise if life was going as they had planned. So personally, I don’t think that we all are mere puppets. And, even if it were true, humans still have to give their best whatever be the circumstances. There’s no doubt that this is one big crisis that humans are facing, but humans have faced bigger challenges in the past too.

Like many others I also felt fear for the virus when the lockdown first began. Over the next few weeks, everything came to a standstill and I experienced immense boredom. But then came a point where I decided to accept the reality and acknowledged that I may have to live with the situation for quite some time. So instead of brooding over the situation, I thought a better approach towards life would be to maintain a positive attitude and look at the brighter things around me. And I could find many! It’s great to have everybody, including my parents, at home all the time. It’s fun to spend lots of family time and to indulge in activities that the entire family can enjoy, something that we would do once in a while earlier. I also often hear my dad say that the lockdown has made humans realize that they can be happy with fewer things in life, and he is probably right.

But besides seeing the brighter side, we also need to believe that the situation will improve, and do our bit for the community during these trying times.

One of the best ways to contribute to the fight against coronavirus is simply to follow the guidance which has been set out by the government. I ensure that I stay up to date with any changes to this guidance, and I also encourage others to do the same. I understand that lockdown measures may continue to be enforced for as long as necessary to save lives and to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

So, I stay home as much as possible, go out only once a day only for exercise and that too in non-crowded areas, and I let either of my parents go out shopping for food or essentials. While I adhere to all the safety requirements such as not going out of my building premise, wearing a mask every time I go down, washing hands as frequently as possible, I feel that I can contribute more in this fight against Coronavirus.

I am one of the few volunteers in our residential building that provide support to the more vulnerable and aged people in our society. I check with them if they need to order food or any essential supplies, and at times, I just talk to a few of them on the phone, especially those who are struggling with their loneliness.

Not only is coronavirus affecting people’s health and social lives, it is also having a serious impact on the global and national economy. Many people have lost their jobs, and many are finding it difficult to make a living. With a lot of industries and businesses getting affected; earning money is going to be a challenge. However, it’s the vulnerable that are going to be the most likely affected; this can be clearly seen in the manner in which the migrant population is suffering in India. It means that while it’s going to be tough for everyone to earn more money, it’s also a time when people will need to have large hearts and loosen their wallets. Keeping these things in mind, our family continues to pay our maids their monthly wages, even though we have asked them to stay at home until there are more directions from the government. Even for shopping, while we can order most things from online retailers such as Amazon or visit a superstore such as D-mart, our family ensure that we also shop for things through small businesses and freelancers, as they appreciate our support now more than ever.

It’s also a time for the administration to inspect how things can be improved, so that in future, such things can be dealt with more efficiently. They need to have a plan in place for the more vulnerable people as well. And it looks like countries will have to invest more in R&D, so that they learnt to deal with various kinds of microbes. Few years back, Microsoft founder Bill Gates had predicted that microbes and not weapons could cause mass destruction in the world, as mankind is not well prepared to deal with them, and he was absolutely correct with his prediction. It’s also a wakeup call to mankind that we should respect our environment lest we might face a backlash on a much bigger scale in future.

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