Broken News, Broken Hearts, and the Need to Breathe

I am numb. Dumbstruck. Grief-stricken.

If you’ve been wondering why I’ve been quiet for the last three or four days—well, I’ve just been trying to come to terms with reality. Today, I don’t feel like ranting. We’ve lost so many lives. First, there was the Pahalgam tragedy. Before we could even process that, the airplane disaster hit—and it has shaken us to the core. And now, as I write this, the Pune bridge collapse has left me choked.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention—the daily rise in COVID-19 cases is seriously alarming.

Every time the word COVID-19 or coronavirus appears—whether while reading newspapers, magazines, or watching online news—I feel more restless than ever. I was a COVID patient once, and those 15 days of isolation taught me what life really is. It was a mild case, but I still didn’t take any chances. Yet the sheer helplessness I felt within myself—and in the people around me, including my loved ones—made me lose hope. I now take each day of life seriously. Nobody knows what’s in store for us. So it’s high time we let go of the negativity around us, focus on the positive, and try to see life from a broader perspective.

Where Is the World Heading To

Another thing that I want to point out is: where are we heading to? The world around us is facing problems and issues like never before. Just switch on your TV news channel—BBC or CNN (International) news, for that matter—the constant updates on the Iran-Israel conflict or the Russia-Ukraine issue will make you feel pessimistic. The same goes for the US—day in and day out, you will see cases of rising gun violence and the loss of innocent lives. Sometimes, it’s really time to pause and ask: what mistakes have humans made that they are now witnessing things and events they should never have?

And just take your memory back a few days—the absolute, absolute heartbreaking Austria school shooting incident, which left so many of the purest souls—school students—dead, and countless dreams shattered, and memories that were yet to be made, lost forever.

In a nutshell: violence, tragedies, everywhere. It’s time to retrospect. It’s time to pause. And if you feel there’s nothing you can do about it, then at least be sensible. Be patient. Be aware. And love everyone who is part of your life. Focus on the positive elements of life, read as many books as you can, watch movies, travel new places, be kind, don’t rant, don’t brood, and finally, don’t cry over spilt milk—the past is already out of your hands.

Conclusion

Whatever right or wrong you did in your life, it can’t be changed. Similarly, the future is not in your control. The only thing you can do is to “act, act in the living present.” Make friends with like-minded people, gossip to your heart’s content, enjoy, and build happy memories.

Finally, don’t be around people who make you feel tense, sad, or anxious. And for that matter, if you feel that watching TRP-hungry, insensitive TV news channels make you more depressed than informed, stop watching them altogether.