A Letter of Hope

 “You are writing too depressing nowadays, write something happier no…!”, a friend commented on one of my recent ‘sad’ poems. Nothing around seems to be happy or cheerful, how do I inspire myself to write something positive, I wonder. But the depressing state of affairs and its reflection in my writings had started taking a toll on my emotional health. So I decided to try and focus on the lotus in the midst of the muddy pond.

I know most of what I am going to write, most people know. And yet we fail to acknowledge it in the chaos surrounding us. So I am going to put it out there for anyone and everyone to read, understand and accept, if they agree.

I know the condition around in the world is pathetic. In India in particular, it is chaotic, depressing, scary, indefinite. Almost each day I see many people struggling for beds, oxygen, plasma – struggling to live for themselves or for their loved ones. I hear or read stories about people lost in the struggle – people I knew, or people related to the people I know. My heart cries and my hope fails. But then I also recall seeing posts for leads – a random person posting for some family he/she doesn’t know and may not ever meet; Many people coming out with free or nominally charged tiffin services for Covid affected families; people following up on leads through various platforms to try and save someone. Time and again I have been amazed how the social, religious, economic barriers we as a society have drawn for ourselves break down in a real emergency. Without prompting, simply for the sake of humanity, people come forward to help in their own capacity. It’s in the worst of times for the country, the best in most humanity comes forward.

And for those who are reading this. I know these are unprecedented times. Maybe you have battled Covid, maybe someone in your family has. Maybe you have lost a loved one, or maybe your friend or acquaintance has. Even if none of this has happened to you, the situation around is scary. You fear for your health and life as well as your family’s. Whatever the circumstance, you are doing the best you can. Maybe your efforts helped someone get a bed, your donation enabled a struggling family to afford a treatment, your words of comfort helped provide hope to a struggling soul. If you have not been able to do either of it, even your presence is a solace to your family. Your work, your smile, your conversation, your food is helping them feel a sense of normalcy. The fact that we are trying to function normally when the country around seems to be falling apart, speaks a lot about our strength, resilience, willpower, positive energy.

When all else fails, hope helps us live on. In the words of a friend – “We will come out of this together for sure, maybe a bit scarred, but with gusto”. These are words of comfort, and words of hope. They help me sleep at night. I hope they help you too.