Mom Says You're Not Alone..

These last few months have been a test of our courage and patience. Social distancing made us wonder if we would ever relive our enviable past. As a species designed to evolve and adapt to its circumstances we weren't faring well. Then we even question our faith. 

I was perplexed, "Are we alone?" Not in context to being the sole planet with intelligent life in the universe. This resonated deeper. Was there no one looking out for us?  I told my Mother, "Mom! God is making us suffer for our collective karma. Maybe we are such a repugnant species for all the sins we committed, we have finally been disowned."   

She felt indignant! I have been dumbfounded many a times by my Mother's adherence to faith. She did not practice reading scriptures, going to the temple, counting rosary beads, performing fasts or any other austerities associated with it. Perceiving me as unfair, she told me, "If we are responsible for our collective bad karma, how is God to blame?" then she tells me politely, "We are not alone..and now more than ever you need to have faith!" 
Her commitment made me pensive. But how to hold onto faith especially when we were being tested rigorously? Cornered for Man's crimes against Nature, we had lost. And losing does upend any individual. 
Apart from this mental conflict my son decided that HE had been locked down long enough! So he pestered me to send him to school or even just to a friend's place for a playdate! His predicament was boredom. An eight year old refusing to understand that we as humans were all the same, levelled, stuck inside, no discriminations made.
Since this was a collective plight, I realized Mom was right, We Are Not Alone! When I told her how she was ironically correct she rolled her eyes at my sarcasm and decided to infect my conundrum with hope, "God is with us, within us! He hasn't left our side. Have faith, this too shall subside!"
In her childlike surrender lay the belief for a better future. She taught me how we don't need to partake in just rituals to be closer to God, we had only look Within; how if we instill fear and negativity in our hearts there would be no space for compassion. She recalled stories of people helping strangers, handing out food to the hungry, caregivers putting in overtime; such an outpouring of unconditional love and care is true Godliness.
Her unshakable faith made me realize how this crisis was only a step for Man's personal growth. It was only a matter of time till everything goes back to a new normal. We would all eventually learn to be better humans, by amending our equations with not only Nature, with society,  and other fellow living beings. Survive and thrive we can armed with new lessons learnt. 

God's love for us works in mysterious ways and since we can't claim omniscience, we can together learn to hope and pray for a better world. I love how Mothers are not only responsible for our 'being' but also our mental well-being! These God-sent saviours, bless them!