The schools are closed. The streets are empty. I am stuck at home. I have not met my friends in months.

I never thought, not even in my wildest dreams, that something like this would befall Karachi, or the whole world. At first, when Covid-19 news from another part of the world, my friends and I would joke about it throughout the day.

When the Sports Day came, we forgot all about it and focused on getting to the finish line first. At the end we laughed, ran around, hugged and took pictures. Then we all dispersed, saying that we would meet each other the next day — except we did not. February 27, 2020, was the last day I saw my friends.

Initially, we all were happy to get this unexpected holidays, but we did not know what we were dealing with. Nobody knew. And nobody still does.

The world is grappling with an invisible, deadly enemy, trying to understand how to live with the threat posed by a virus. Many people are trying to conceptualise and document what it feels like to live in countries under lockdown and regular life seems to have ground to a halt. I am rather frustrated that all these great afternoons and perfect weather has arrived, but we cannot go to the beach. It is as if unseen walls have been erected on all sides.

But this nightmare for humans is a dream come true for nature. I am not trying to undermine the dangers by conjuring beautiful images of the lockdown. It is a sad time for the world and we mourn the people who lost their lives in this battle, by going absolutely silent.

But silence speaks volumes. The city that never sleeps, the city of lights for Pakistan, finally came to a rest. It takes a breath of fresh air as the people who make this city so beautiful stay at home and read, exercise, watch movies, spend time with family and converse with themselves and fight with their shadows.

Every time I go out on the rooftop or to the balcony, I think about all this. I watch the empty streets and think about how at first I rejoiced and welcomed these holidays, and now how I miss school and all my regular activities. At times, when the pink and orange hues light up the sky with the Arabian Sea in the distance, I pull up a chair outside and think about all those fun times my friends and I had, and regret taking life for granted as one never knows what will happen tomorrow. Our past is history and our future a mystery.

I am furious at Covid-19 for ruining all the special events of my life, such as my farewell and my awards ceremony, and that it had to come this year, at this time. While I left the junior section for middle school, I thought about how every past sixth graders’ memories are etched into the walls of the junior section, how each brick holds a story. I guess our story will have to remain incomplete.

It is frustrating how so many people are defiant that Covid-19 does not really exist. That all this is propaganda by tabloids. Ignoring all government warnings, they come out and throng the streets. What is worse is that those at the helm of affairs have turned this global pandemic into a political matter. One should never let politics get in the way of health care emergencies. That is the biggest folly of mankind.

Furthermore, when the lockdown was eased on Eid, a sudden spike appeared in the corona cases. Many people do not show symptoms and it is difficult to track them down. The strain this has on our hospitals is unimaginable, with the lack of ventilators and health care in Pakistan being so expensive. So many people are dying, so many families are getting affected. Yet people are not ready to stay in or take precautions. They do not understand the gravity of this disease. I wonder what it will take for people to realise the kind of deadly medical mystery they are dealing with.

On the other hand, some countries have risen to the challenge and were able to control the spread. The New Zealand prime minister acted fast and controlled the spread of Covid-19 in her country. While other countries spread the message of “War against Covid-19”, she asked her people to come together and “Unite against Covid-19”. She stopped all flights and took serious and tough actions early on.

If only Pakistan too had maintained this kind of mindset, we would not be in this sticky position today.

I was crestfallen that international flights are restricted, as this year we had plans to travel to different places. But all bad things set aside, during this time I discovered I enjoy photography. I learned advanced recipes and cooked meals that I never seemed to have time for before. I also made a couple of new cycling friends in the neighbourhood. Moreover, I painted with my sister and gained some computer skills. I even mastered board games such as Sequence, Monopoly and Ludo. I also found new things that I want to do when all this is over, such as dirt bike racing after watching multiple videos.

So as the world watches with bated breath for what is to come, I am trying to gain and learn about different things as much as I can. I hope that we don’t go back to the way we were after defeating Covid-19. I hope that this will teach us to be more empathetic, tolerant and find more humanity in the depths of our hearts.

No more racism, as all who died did not die as black or white, Muslim or Christian, boy or girl. No, they died as humans, as victims, and as for the doctors — they passed away as warriors in this never-ending battle. Everyone has been afraid of big nuclear bombs, but many are being killed by a miniscule micro-organism. Let’s create a new normal, a new world, a safe haven for all to live in with harmony and peace.

The change begins with you. Stay home, educate yourself, nurture your mind and stay safe. I end on this note — strive to become your best possible version at all times.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 18th, 2020