Festivals and Pandemics - 2020

My social media feed is awash with people wishing each other and their loved ones with cliched and inane messages such as "from mine/ours to yours", "...to you and your loved ones", etc. and it makes me first want to hurl, then shake them by their shoulders and ask them why they're living in denial?

2020 is not a year to celebrate and least of all, make an ostentatious show of it. What exactly are you trying to prove? Sure, treat these festivals as a sign and beacon of hope, but for heaven's sake, don't congregate, throw parties, take group pictures and post anything preceded with the word "Happy" against it. Is there anything truly "happy" about 2020 given what's happening around you?

"Stay home, stay safe" should be the mantra of this unfortunate year when tens of millions of people are falling sick, hundreds of thousands are dying and a cure seems to be months away (at least). Set aside the festivities and "teen patti" parties, the regalia, and the joyous/moronic get-togethers that people are  seen regaling in Instagram posts, Twitter and WhatsApp wishes. These seem terribly misplaced at this point in time. Not to mention, that this is a downward spiral at the end of the day. Seeing influencers or people you follow on social media makes the "influenced" and "followers" go out and try and replicate the same experience with the intent of one-upping the other and addressing their FOMO (fear of missing out)  issues. It becomes yet another endless quest to gain more likes, shares, followers, and subscribers leaving aside the original intent of the festival, forgetting the fiasco that 2020 was, is, and continues to be and makes everyone posting these messages look like ignorant fools. What is even more surprising is that the same people who have been lamenting about someone in their family/extended family/social circle having contracted the disease are the ones inviting others to their homes to come and "spread the joy and celebrate the festival of (insert inane symbol) together as one".

Agreed that this is a moment to reflect and celebrate little sparks of joy in an otherwise terrible year. Enjoy, appreciate, respect, and be hopeful...but don't treat this year as any other year and pretend that all is well in the world. It's not, clearly. And if you think otherwise, just look around you and make note of the fact that you're presumably alone for no fault of yours, sitting at home, not going to work, continuing to hear your friends lament about how their kids are being deprived of an education, using covid-19 as an icebreaker in a conversation, reading articles about how the world is coming to an end (unless of course, you're more interested in reading about the conspiracy theories about suicides in the Indian film industry), although ironically, you may have become numb to the news of despair unless it's personal and have begun scrolling mindlessly through such articles. 

Be more coherent. Be more aware. Be responsible. Be more respectful and be cognizant of your surroundings. Enjoy the various holidays and festivals. Do what you have/need to do, but don't make a show of how ignorant you are by posting "group selfies" on social media. Grow up. And thank your lucky stars you're still alive.