Curro Aurora’s deputy head, Nelline Le Roux has won a creative writing competition held by Curro Holdings, centred around the Covid-19 outbreak.
Curro Holdings challenged its employees to enter a competition, dubbed ‘Vasbyt’, hosted by their head office.
She said, “Taking in the information around me I decided to write from my heart, my perception of what Covid-19 is and its relationship to us, ‘people’. I believe this is collective pain that every one will encounter and that this is a lesson larger than life.”
Below is her piece titled Cornered Collectively by the Coveted Covid:
How quietly she stretches out, clutching the universe to her, clawing her way into human lungs, sucking their very breath, their life force.Unknowing to us she twirls around the globe tightening her forceful power, squeezing away at the universe.
She is multifaceted thus dif?cult to catch nor manoeuvre out of lives. Billions of humans, intellectually privileged species, yet none of us could see her coming. She came like a thief in the deep of the night and stole our well – being.
Making certain to tell us in no uncertain terms that life’s choices would no longer be ours. Covid made it very clear in her very acts, “I’d stay put right within your communities, I will take away your bread and leave your cupboards bare, I will steal your freedom and make you yearn for better health, I am pickpocketing your pocket, your hearts and souls. I’m snatching your world and making it mine, I am the hijacker and you are only but a human who thought that the choices were yours”.
Let me tell you that, that’s not all I’m taking away. Tears you will shed, the pain will be felt. Disharmony, discontentment and disconnection are the 3ds that will bring you down to your knees yearning for the end of me and the survival of you.
And this is non-negotiable you smart humans. You, your friends, communities, loved ones, are all part of this challenge collectively. And collectively you will be notified of any change to my status.
I can tell you this though, “wherever you experience a hole of pain there within is your learning”.
Be quick to learn and practice your learning, mend your ways and thread the world in the tapestry of love once again.And the chaos began, the world was in plight, the flight we wanted but there was no place to hide. The images were and are being publicized for all to see. Statistically millions infected, many have left our land. Sadness pervaded every soul, nook and cranny. The world was shattered from the mighty covid. Scientists tried their very best, health workers claimed every waking moment.Graves were dug in bulk, no goodbyes were allowed to put loved ones to rest.
Darkness pervaded every human.Prayer of every sort was sent, yet all went wrong in human life.Leaders of every kind knew that it was time. Lockdown! Quarantine! PLAN A All for the sake of saving lives plan A was implemented. This in itself became a catch 22 situation, lockdown meant the massive fall of the economy.
Poverty and strife were the other diseases to be endured. And there was NO! Plan B in sight.
What now the people said, the conundrum! It was the most difficult conundrum.
Covid whispered in her every voice, “From one person to another, the universe has been pleading with you”: Learn! And practice your learning!
And then the humans had no choice, They began to pull away from the rat race, taking deep breaths, ignoring the darkened mind space, thinking more deeply about what they wanted to bring forth from this learning and back into their life. This was their chance to define a new version of new normalization, a rare and truly opportune experience to leave behind the misdemeanours rise with what works best in their lives that which bring with it gratitude, acceptance, creativity, and wholesome a human life.
Simplicity was the key to making their lives richer and more fuller. In the time of isolation, they found ways to make their families happier in a holistic way. Vital aspects of life were top prioritization and it was implemented throughout all aspects which previously was taken for granted.
And then life began to take a bend, most clearly witnessed in each household, the country was tolerance, tolerance to live with what they had and yearning for none. During this trying period deep care, the empathy for one another which was lacking before became paramount in various acts witnessed.
Unity amongst most. This was seen in many supportive global spaces, a meal dropped off for a neighbour, a Zoom birthday party, sharing with others, adapting and changing human behaviours, a kind word a comforting call, the most important one was seen in people’s attitude, we are no better than the other.
All of this human behaviour change was shown in their acts of love. And like humans, they wanted to define their lives, their country, the world accordingly. Most knew that this was their chance to do that, the biggest opportunity they have ever gotten to learn and grow, to be better humans.
Even though the number of infections grew daily the human population held strongly together with deep faith in their hearts that someday soon an intellectual human will beat her- covid. He or she will come up with the all healing vaccine that will destroy this plague.
That day was on the horizon. It was coming closer and closer. And when that day will dawn all of the Universal bells will toll with the glory of love, unity and oneness.
Every human will fall to his knees not only from the gratitude of defeat of the massive plague but thankfulness for the opportunity to learn and grow, to discard the habits that inhibited his holistic growth.
The knowledge that the magnitude of human chaos was brought upon ourselves and the lesson learnt was to be remembered for all times from generation to generation. The demolition and reconstruction of the human mind and bringing together the humankind. And this I have no doubt will soon be celebrated in every thought, word and act across every space of mankind, from corner to corner of the Universe. And all will be well like time after time overages and eras mankind will once again live harmoniously as one.
