The day finally came when the lockdown was lifted ever so slightly, right before Eid. Fawad started to go to work for limited hours about a week before the lockdown was lifted. He was grateful for the transition. Being a man it was harder for him to be cooped in at home. Needless to say he began to sympathize with us women, especially house makers who were endlessly stuck in a cycle of events, work and chores all being stage mastered from the four walls of the house. He began to develop a newfound appreciation

of our excellence.But stuck at home there was a constant fear of losing his job. As I shared with you earlier a lot of his colleagues had been sacked. There just were not enough projects to work and the company was not ready to expend its resources any further. Fawad believed he was asked to continue was because he was the prime liaison between the company offices abroad especially the ones in Dubai and London. This gave him an advantage over others, an advantage he wasn’t particularly proud of.

“I don’t think its fair Saima that I am asked to stay on while so many have been sacked. How will they manage now? They were not even given a notice or any severance pay. I feel like resigning to show my support to them but I’m a coward. I have you to think about us and Ibrahim. How can I do anything to hurt you only on the basis of principle?”

I didn’t think it was wise to remind him that historically people had done much more on the basis of principle and for reasons far less important or tragic than this. In fact most revolutions started in this manner. I understood his dilemma, and I suggested that why doesn’t he do something to help them. He definitely had the expertise and the resources.

“What can I do? I have always wanted to establish a company of my own. I have the contacts but I can’t do that while the economic recession is happening, while the world is collapsing. I can’t risk my own money at this point in time only to be able to employ a few stranded accountants however sympathetic I am of their predicament. I can only pray for them or maybe give them some monetary help by way of charity. There isn’t much more that can be done.” And that was that.

Logical and practical, men rule the world with such an unemotional and rather icy outlook. If women were ruling the world I think we wouldn’t even be in this dire situation to begin with. Men always look at it from their own advantage and perspective. I don’t think they are really capable of empathy in its true sense. I left it at that without saying anything. Fawad didn’t need my “counseling” right now.

So, when he was asked to rejoin the office and stop the work from home charade, I also sighed a sense of relief. Things were slowly and gradually falling into place.

We still had to be careful I kept on reminding him and I that the lockdown was lifted not the virus. But things seemed slightly less tense. I think in our own odd way we were getting used to the new way things were now being done. Our life before COVID-19 was such a vague blur, I had to strain myself to remember it. Is that what evolution is all about? How easily the humanity adjusts.

Nonetheless the million dollar question remains. Will we go back to how things really were?

I already knew for a fact that nothing was the way it was in the past. Absolutely nothing, no aspect of our previous life was the same. Education had taken the greatest blow. We all had a huge contribution tom offer to develop the mindsets of the youth post COVID back to something similar to “normal.” The young minds were literally losing their shit. They were the ones most badly hit. Separated from their “world” of friends and everything that they considered theirs they needed counseling and lots of help. They were struggling with online classes and assignments and their mental well-being was shattered. Maybe they were the silent sacrifice of the corona war, its unsung heroes. They needed our help.

And they were not the only ones. Everything for us adults had changed too. Going out was more like an ordeal, a pain, an unbearable stressful experience to say the least. Maintain distance, wear the mask, sanitize frequently, if I went out shopping without a list I would forget half the things I wanted because I was taking care of all the above mentioned factors. And I couldn’t take out Ibrahim with me. Most places were very particular about the aged and the very young coming out and exposing themselves to the virus. This was kind of an endearing approach. I mean the people of Pakistan were hardly this disciplined before so as a blessing in disguise corona made us disciplined and restored some of our lost humanity too. We began to care more for our old and very young. So, all the changes were not all bad.

We all began to notice the little changes. Even if we were grumbling a month or two ago that things were not the same we now realize that this was in fact a good thing. I admit some industries have suffered and may never come back on their feet again, like event management and hosting and even cinemas. Many of us argue that the lack of self-control and the grueling race of commercialism and materialism had to be checked and it finally was by this virus, because us humans didn’t have any self-control and needed a plague to “mend our dirty little ways”.

People and families were now finding ways to entertain within their houses. Weddings that used to be highly advertising and glamorized events were now taking place in a simple manner with close family only. Everything was being checked and controlled even our pockets. We were spending on what we required the most and not on things that were simply worldly and for status symbols. There was a new found respect for family and relationships. There was more love and understanding.

So if things don’t go back to the way they were I will not have any regrets. We needed this; we needed a scolding from the heavens to check our ungodly ways and our extravagance. And I know we have suffered, people have lost work and as I mentioned earlier the education industry is still struggling to get back in form, but this time will not go by in vain. Eventually schools will open and colleges and universities will all have the same number of students running through its corridors and these young people will hopefully have a new found respect and courtesy for their teachers, their mentors which over the years was lost and teachers were being disrespected and ridiculed. This plague is their redemption. Everyone and everything is being purified and purged. Tomorrow will be a better world. •