‘Who are we? Where do we belong? Where did we come from? Where do we go back to? Where do we stand?’ are the fundamental questions the humankind overlooked over time with the power they gained over materialistic possessions. 

We all belong to ‘Mother Nature’. Don’t we? That is our origin, that is where we will go back once life ends, and we gradually are a part of the earth back again reunited with the soil. 

With the rise of the industrialization and advancement of technology, the human considered himself superior to any other thing on the earth. He started taking control of the environment, the land, the sea, and the air. The human who once was a part of the agrarian society who flourished the lands transforms into an entirely new industrial society as the social & economic disruptions arise. 

Decades passed with man trying to assert his superiority over nature while deteriorating it. The earth was crumbling, calling out for what it was before. Human insanity was such that it thought the existence of the humankind is upon the destruction of nature. Once nourished lands never did again, the cleaner air became poisonous, the dazzling waves of water got unimpressive, thriving green forests frayed as it shall never see life again while the human overjoyed all that annihilation he caused. 

As intoxicated as he was, building luxurious shelters with the branches of trees chopping them down while crying out loud, digging into the shallow grounds to gather sand for skyscrapers, the path for airliners contaminated the air and all that litter is dumped into the flowing water and into the cloud-flecked atmosphere, poisoned. Little did he fail to realize he was the disorder that has been caused in nature, that he is a part of this wide web of Mother Nature and all the disruptions he caused which were not supposed to take place would have massive consequences that he would not be able to bear nor control. 

Despite having several warnings from nature and multiple disasters that cost millions of lives, the human never seemed to care. All he favored was to make this world a monarchy of concrete establishments all for himself, ruled and reigned by himself. The grievance of nature did not matter, the grievance for the lost lives did not matter, the grievance for the pity lives of nature’s creations did not matter, as long as he crowned himself as the king to a world that he believes to have established and yet could not last much longer. 

Nature crippled and lost its glaze overtime, diseased lands, polluted air, and impure water, which reflected all man’s sins upon himself through unexplainable horrific diseases. Today, the COVID-19 has plunged the world into a global pandemic leaving humankind and his communities extremely vulnerable. 

Over the past few weeks, confirmed COVID-19 positive cases and deaths have soared globally. While it causes abundant deaths, the effort to fight this pandemic has cost a huge toll on other aspects of the economy, health and well-being, which the human swaggered upon belittling nature. Is this nature’s approach to punishing the evil human acts of environmental destruction? Does the human race deserve this? 

The spread of this terrifying global pandemic has made us realize how fragile the human and his wealth is. Countries across the globe are reporting a decline in their economy, which once was highly cherished with the inception of industrialization. 

Economies crippled, employment damaged, lives lost, businesses affected and the entire world sobered. Reflecting historical and natural injustices reflected upon the human today is saddening. Social distancing has been made mandatory. Many people are in tears without being able to be with their loved ones during this petrifying situation. It took a pandemic for the human to realize the importance of a family, their lives, and their loved ones. A human’s importance to one another and unity had been undermined for so long until now. 

Regardless of the impact & disruption of public health and economic slowdown, COVID-19 has helped ease the environmental pollution across the globe. China, one of the major countries highly influenced by the COVID- 19, had one of the biggest polluted air over the country, which has also been a consistent struggle to decrease over the years. After the outbreak of the COVID-19, air pollution has decreased drastically over China. A significant drop in environmental pollution has been detected followed by this pandemic, as people have been restricted to their household under lockdown. 

It has also been reported that the waterways in Venice, Italy’s canals, which used to be dark and murky are running clear amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The pandemic has crippled Italy and is tumbling its way across the globe. But amid the fear and sickness, Italy’s countrywide quarantine has had a positive influence over the environment with cleaner water and less polluted air since there are fewer canal boats, traffic & tourists than usual due to the restricted movement of people.

Not only in China and in Italy, but it is also reported that air quality in cities around the world has significantly improved and a decrease in pollution because of the decline in traffic, commercial and industrial activities due to the spread of the COVID-19 risks. This is the silver lining of the pandemic. Perhaps, this is a reminder that the long-held power and pride is just a sneeze away. The strength and swank do not define the superiority and the decision to destroy nature is not the human’s to make. 

Is the pandemic of COVID-19 the true restoration of nature? By making the human realize where they really belong? Will this bring humankind to the right senses in doing the right thing by himself and by nature? Is this the destruction the man brought upon himself? Remain unanswered.