Nature is the theatre in which God displays his signs. By nature here we don’t mean simply that which is outside the cities – the whole visible cosmos is “nature”, and that includes society and humans. God himself has given us the power to improve society, so what then is the remedy for the problems of human society? How can hunger, diseases, oppression, pollution, and a thousand other human-produced ills be cured?
Covid-19 pandemic has prompted many to foster the maxim of ‘indoor good and outdoor bad’, just because of a lot of perplexed questions. What will happen if I get in physical contact with a Covid carrier? Is everybody vaccinated? Will the world ever solve the mystery of Covid-19’s origin? What will happen if I get in touch with the more deadly version of the virus? Now information shrouded in obscurity makes rounds on social media, that just one mutation is enough for the NeoCov to be able to infiltrate human cells and if it ever infects humans then it might kill one in three infected people, as it has close resemblance to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV). These unsettled questions will facilitate the growth of the cave syndrome among individuals, which is the unusual behaviour of avoiding venturing outside and to remain secluded in safe places or indoors.
The idea of Cave Syndrome was introduced by psychiatrist Dr Arthur Bregman at his practice in Coral Gables, Florida. A person fears going out in public places where he or she feels helpless, trapped, or embarrassed, and people with this condition have a fear of losing control and they often start to avoid the situations that they fear, or insist on having another person go with them. Such people may become completely home-bound and dependent on others for daily tasks, such as grocery shopping, etc.
Professor Steven Taylor, a psychiatrist at the University of British Columbia in Canada, has predicted the rise of anxiety in the aftermath of Covid-19. He speculated that the pandemic will see a rise of hikikomori (an agoraphobia-like phenomenon) where people scarcely leave their house and practice social isolation. Stephens (2020), Vox (2020), Samuel (2021) and Rodriguez (2021) have worked on the sources of fear and they have clearly depicted in their results that there are two categories of groups that fear the return of normality. The first group is worried about doing things they have not done for a long time, while the second group have anxiety from issues that were hidden in pre-pandemic times and became clearer during the pandemic.
The greatest challenge for all humanity is to step into the world of new possibilities that exist with transformation. Humans are in constant transmutation and this becomes clear when they look into their being and changing. From infancy they arrived at youth and adulthood, from youth they arrived at maturity, and from maturity to senility. Finally life itself is nullified and there remains a body without the anima. The body is also nullified and falls apart. Thus it is clear that the human body dwells in change and transmutation and doesn’t last in one place. Likewise, if we want to understand the true nature of the cosmos, it is sufficient to have functioning senses, a rational mind, and the desire to understand. Introspection will led anyone to see levels of perception and awareness within the self and these levels of awareness reflect the structure of the outside world. Moreover, if we have to get out of this pandemic then it is a prerequisite to solve the mystery of Covid-19’s origin and learn the facts about how Covid-19 emerged to prevent future outbreaks.

—The writer is Assistant Professor of Zoology at Islamia College of Science & Commerce, Srinagar. [email protected]

DR ARSHED IQBAL DAR