Momina Moin
Author and social activist
Winter like all other seasons, shows up at different places in different times of the year. Its intensity varies from place to place and so does the duration for which it it comes, and is gradually replaced by summer sun. There are places which do not see the glimpse of sun shining on them, and then there are places where winters are very short lived. Even within the same country, there are regions which are snow capped throughout the year, and regions where extreme winter months are warm enough to make them enjoy their coffee. In literature winter refers to something gloomy, something that kills the joy of life, something that reflects some kind of misfortune. Therefore, the time we live in, is the winter of the world, implies that the world is going through a tough era. Multiple problems tend to exist in this complex global community. There is an endless list of social issues that are prevalent today, and the list is expanding with the increasing complexity of the system. Poverty, environmental issue, nuclear war threat, increasing rivalries among nations, civil wars in various parts of the world, terrorism, illiteracy, all these collectively exist like a cold December cloud over the sky of the globe, ready to pour its coldness anytime soon. But not everyone will feel the cold equally. Some will have enough resources to make themselves warm, to protect themselves from the killing frost of the winter that surrounds them. For instance, one may say, that the developed world is far better off than the developing world, in all apparent aspects. Therefore, winter may not be as cold for them as for the developing world. But even within the developed world, there may be some, for whom winter has been the only season they have been exposed to, just like some regions within a country remain snow covered throughout the year.
The most recent manifestation can be observed in 2020, in terms of COVID 19. This pandemic fell as an avalanche on the entire globe. It brought along, things like, business failures, non-existent tourism, unemployment, salary-cuts, downsizing and reduced socialisation. But who did it effect the most? Well, those with the least warm clothes to protect themselves.
One may conclude, that it has always been a winter in this world. In other words, the season of winter started as soon as the start of human history, and has ever since, never ceased to end. Those who had enough fuel to turn on their heaters, had enough clothes to cover their skin, had enough blankets to sleep sound at night, were able to defeat their winter. In a nutshell, everyone has their own winter season, for some it ends, to some it brings their end.
Leave a Reply