Acharya Prashant addresses the notion that the coronavirus is a divine wrath. He clarifies that it is not a divine punishment, as there is no God sitting in the heavens showering down viruses. However, he states that there is some truth to the idea that this pandemic is a consequence of human actions. The virus did not appear on its own or through a conspiracy. Unlike many other diseases that people contract, the human race is entirely responsible for this pandemic, having invited and possibly even invented it. He explains that humanity has dragged this disease out of the jungles. While it is not yet certain whether the virus was invented in a lab, the fact remains that our actions have been like inviting a bull to gore us. This situation, he explains, is a direct application of the principle of 'Karmaphal' (the fruit of one's actions). The way we have been livingтАФwith cruel exploitation of nature, a false and hollow definition of development, and an endless desire for consumptionтАФis the root cause. This applies to all 8 billion people on the planet. The goal of every country is 'development,' which is measured by the amount of material goods available for consumption. To achieve this, we destroy our forests and kill any animal we find. He compares this to a reckless young man who lives a wrong life and eventually has an accident; the accident is not a random event but the culmination of his entire lifestyle. Similarly, this pandemic is the result of humanity's accumulated wrongdoings over decades. Acharya Prashant points out some unintended positive consequences of the pandemic, such as a significant reduction in pollution, cleaner air, fewer road accidents, and a decrease in meat consumption. He criticizes the hypocrisy of people who claim their time is so valuable that they must take flights (which cause immense pollution) yet waste hours on social media and television. He argues that the aviation industry, tourism, and luxury hotels are largely non-essential and cater to indulgence. He concludes by stating that this calamity is a message from nature, reminding us of our transience and the need to live within our limits and stop mistreating the planet. He quotes Kabir Saheb, "Whose throat you cut, will in turn cut yours," explaining that while we dismissed the wisdom of saints as outdated, we are now facing the consequences. The dead chicken won't literally come back to cut our throats, but other forces of nature will, and that is what is happening now.
