Heroes under attack.

Byline: Asha'ar Rehman

I AM not at all embarrassed to admit that apparently like so many who populate the mainstream of my beloved homeland, I have been guilty of trying to drown my Covid-19-generated fears in the local formula made up of easy-on-the-conscience films and cricket.

The heroes the side stories throw up are too heart-wrenching. Best ignored are incidents involving daily-life characters such as the valiant doctors and other members of their teams who have been trying to take the wild virus by the horns. Best forgotten are the tragic-ending stories of young graduates from a sufficiently remote socially, politically, economically, distant province who could have been hero material in the hands of those responsible for crafting responsible valuable citizens before they went astray and went down in a hail of bullets. They do catch attention but only fleetingly when the intent is finding relief in 'serious stuff'.

Every phase generates its own justifications. These distractions are there ever so briefly before they are allowed to escape, eagerly swapped with a desire to live. These are stressful times. An individual can take so much and no more. People have to live and let live, or let die, if, unfortunately, it comes to that.

People have to live and let live, or let die, if, unfortunately, it comes to that.

But what antidote can cure those who are bent upon creating serious stuff out of nothing? It looks as if they quite enjoy living in their fatalistic worlds and are prepared to expose themselves to the ever-newer dangers.

Social media is full of shocking passage of famous heroes otherwise known for their timing. It is so, or maybe the encompassing makes it look so, that the instance of reporting death and illnesses on these social media platforms has increased in the wake of the virus - or maybe they were always there but you have just noticed them now because of the extended time you spend following info on these forums.

Some of the current topics on social media are most reflective of how edgy people are and how keen to lay bare some of the ghosts of the past. However, the relief-seeking souls such as you know who would have rather wanted this debate to be put off to calmer times, thinking that there will never ever be the 'right atmosphere'.

This debate about two sets of heroes: the virtuous invaders of Sindh on one side and the sons of the soil who tried to thwart the foreigners' advance on the other. Any number of people are...