AOA everyone,
While writing this I feel amongst the lucky ones who are sitting underneath a roof with a full stomach and a comfortable bed to sleep on ALHAMDULILLAH during these tough times when not every person in the country I live in is able to get these blessings. Honestly , if u talk about the year itself it has been very long and despairing for all of us. All around the world people have been overwhelmed and troubled by the pandemic. When I first got to know about COVID-19,I never imagined its radical impact on the community , on the social life of people.
To begin, the first time I heard about the COVID-19 virus was towards the end of the year 2019 , probably in December. I did not care that much about it because I thought that it was going to be a similar situation like any other flu or respiratory disease having no idea about its lethality that time . Also, because the news coverage was only focused on the impact the virus had in the City of Wuhan, China. I must admit at the time I was going through some tough personal feelings with my Fsc exams since I wasn’t able to prepare for them that good. I always had this feeling inside of me that some supernatural thing is gonna happen or some sort of miracle would save me from my bad preparation for my exams. So, came the first case of COVID-19 on February 2020 in Pakistan . A week or so went by and we started hearing about its spread in the southern areas and eventually the whole country. With this spread, one day came when we heard that we were going to get promoted without exams .It was a relief at that time but yet many other challenges awaited for me and my family. For me getting into an Engineering university was a big challenge since we got to experience the first lockdown in our area. The mental focus that I was trying to put on my entry test preparation was diverted when one of my family member caught the virus in Early June. It was at first shocking for us then it got even worse when we all tested positive for the virus. Me my dad, my mom and my grandmother. My grandmother’s health was the main concern as we all had some minor symptoms and got it covered in no time. She went through a lot and by a lot I mean she lost 70% of her oxygen but u know what guys “miracles do happen”. She incredibly recovered and I thank to Allah (S.W.T) till this day for all His Generosity and Blessings. Allah is Great.
I guess we sometimes forget the power of the nature that Allah has complete control of.
At this particular moment, it is very difficult to contextualize the impact of COVID-19.One thing is guaranteed from this historical event is that things would never be the same again as the once used to be. If u talk about the post pandemic situation then I think that the youth can play a very vital role in reviving the economy of Pakistan through their skills in free lancing that they learned during the pandemic. Also the government has always the major role in providing a big level change. It all depends on their plans and policies. We can always hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
In the end, I would also like to share some of the positive aspects of global pandemic. First, I think situations like the ones we are having right now bring out the worst and best of one’s personality and the best and worst of human interactions. As someone who lived in a city like Rawalpindi for the majority of my life, I loved the less traffic the city experienced which caused less pollution in the air quality. I believe nature has benefited from a decline in actions that hurt our environment. The experience has also taught me how to enjoy the little things in life we take for granted. I learned that adapting is the best form of survival, I could never predict the future but I’m certain whatever it would be, I would do my best to enjoy every single minute of it. I am a strong believer that the human spirit is capable of creating positive change and I'm sure we will overcome this situation very soon INSHA’ALLAH .
Stay Blessed.
Anas Naeem
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Aero 19-A