By Subhasis Chattopadhyay –
India needs to immediately shut down all travel; social contact and have whistle-blower policies for those who are not reporting foreign trips/arrivals during the last two weeks. If we do not do this, then we might be at greater crisis than Italy since our population density is very high compared to the First World. You, my reader, whether you are a Hindu or a Christian, do injustice against yourself, your family and country if you do not go into self-quarantine.
If you are a Roman Catholic, then according to both Canon Law(s) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, you are conscience-bound to NOT attend prayer-meetings. Practise charity for your neighbour. Give to God, what belongs to God. Give to Caesar, what belongs to Caesar. This is the Law: do unto others which you would have done to yourself. Love your fellow human being since you see her; God none has seen in the here and the now in 2020. This is not I, but St. Paul advising the first Christians. If you are a Hindu: know this — Lord Rama is ‘Atma Swarup’ (in your hearts, resides God). If you are a person of faith and know that God exists; then no matter whether you are a Christian or a Hindu; charity (towards yourself first) and to others demands that you do not hide your fever; you do not move out of the house even if you are well. And you do not gather for any form of prayers till the virus is gone.
Now for zealots of all hues and colours: this is not God’s curse for our sins. This is NOT an apocalypse. (There are Hindu and Buddhist apocalypses too, as there are many Hebrew apocalypses.) So beware of blaming God who is Love, for bringing upon us this plague. Beware that you do not blame other human beings for bringing upon this plague. Just chill and occasionally pray. Judge not, lest you be judged.
As a nation, we will survive, and we will overcome. This has very little to do with the supernatural. It has everything to do with how we react to this pandemic. We need scientific tempers to rid ourselves of this disease. Not crackpot solutions by zealots.
Now do not feed the rumour mills. As of writing this blog-post; there are no known medicines for this virus. Nothing works to date. Nothing. Sunlight; drinking a lot of water; taking anti-virals. Nothing at all but palliative care and social distancing. So what works? I give them in point form:
- Stay away from others
- Robustly self-quarantine even if you are fit as a fiddle
- Wash hands with soap for at least 30 seconds
- Aftershaves with alcohol content can be used as hand sanitizers
- Wearing special masks only if you are already ill. Ordinary masks are useless and special masks are needed for medical professionals, and not for you and me
- Do NOT go out unless absolutely needed
- Make sure that you pray in your hearts while leading non-sedentary lives within your homes
And just chill.
Subhasis Chattopadhyay is a Hindu who writes for this website since it is an Indian effort at practising Christianity in an Indian way. He also reviews for Prabuddha Bharata, the mouthpiece of the Ramakrishna Mission and Math. He is a horror and music buff. Along the way, he has picked up qualifications in American literature; the behavioural sciences and in Hinduism and in Roman Catholic Biblical Studies. He teaches at the PG and UG Departments of English at Nara Sinha Dutt College, affiliated to the University of Calcutta. He lives in Calcutta.
Cartoon by Fr Benny Palliparambil