IISATYANAAMII

PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE

The COVID-19 pandemic has held us all captive for very long. Which is why many people are pushing for lifting lockdowns as soon as they see some improvement in the number of people infected. The World Health Organisation has recently warned that COVID-19 could be here for a long time as new clusters of infected people have surfaced in places where it was thought safe. The way this pandemic has spread all over the world demonstrates that mankind is still not equipped to fight it. Those who are pushing for a rapid reinstatement of their ‘liberties’ are certainly underestimating the dominance of this virus.

“Tinka kabahoun naa nindiye, jo paavan tar hoye
Kabahoun oureen aankhan pare, toh phir ghanere hoye”

Do not underestimate the power of a small twig which you can easily crush under your feet. You never know when it can be blown by the wind and get into your eyes. If that happens, you are in big trouble. For a long time now, Man has become too overconfident in his capabilities. After having made big leaps in scientific research and development, Man has thought he has all the solutions to the problems he is himself creating. Unfortunately, many of the problems are creating yet more trouble. The coronavirus is ‘invisible’ to the naked eye, but causing havoc to the whole body. Those people who have demonstrated to call off lockdowns have seen how the reproduction rate has soared as soon as public gatherings were allowed. Never minimise the intensity of something which you cannot see.

“Dosh paraaye dekhi kari, chalaa hasant hasant
Apne yaad na aavayi, jinkaa aadi na ant”

People laugh and keep laughing at others’ imperfections. They do not admit to their own faults which are endless. Many people think that they are better than everyone else and even try to dictate their rules on others. If everyone could focus on their own shortcomings, try to improve on their weaknesses, the world would be a much better place to live. But we know that there will always be those who will turn away from the Guru and let themselves be guided by their senseless motives. Satguru Kabir Saheb advises us to stay away from these skeptics; He advises us to be resolute in our objective, which is to pursue the path of Truth.

As responsible inhabitants of this planet, it is our duty to safeguard everyone’s health and safety (including our own). Instead of finding fault in others, instead of underestimating the magnitude of a contagion, we must apply all measures to protect everyone. We must learn from our mistakes : Prevention is better than cure.

Mahant Jay Jaggessur, Kabir Association of Toronto.