By Abdellatif Sharaa

at home longer than usual caused me to have daydreams and night dreams, and between them a nightmare or two. I thank Allah Almighty for giving me the bounty of being optimistic even in the darkest of times, and always the end comes as I longed for or close to that. As I said in an earlier article, I resorted to reading books I had for a long time but did not have the chance to open them, and now the chance has arrived.

One of the books is titled 'Why do I say these things?' by Jonathan Ross, which I bought at Queen Alia Airport in Jordan on July 19, 2009 (it is a habit of mine to write the date on any book when I purchase it). I mentioned the book not to get into it, but to borrow its title! Why do I say "stay at home", in agreement with the community of healthcare professionals? Staying at home has started to keep COVID-19 infections to a minimum, which is very important, but there are many more things one may benefit from.

I remember when we went to Cancun, Mexico for vacation some time ago, and got stuck because one airline went bankrupt and thousands of tourists could not return home. Hotel rooms were scarce, but luck struck, as the agency we dealt with was a wise one, and booked us in a newly-constructed five-star hotel there, a vindication for me as all my friends and their families were frustrated and angry as I kept telling them to take heart and stay calm, because good things will come at the end.

That is why I say now that no matter how long this adverse situation will take, it will end, and it will end leaving behind lessons to learn and prepare better, as the biggest surprise of all things was that the developed world was the worst hit by the pandemic - very strange! They are supposed to be the kings of technology, industry, medical development and crisis management, or are they? They found they were short on life "sustaining" equipment, such as a simple mask or ventilator! Sad, really sad.

We must follow intellect and not emotion, like when we saw top officials speaking about the discovery of a potential cure for the disease, only to retract their words and damping the hopes of millions, making matters worse in the process. Let us all be realistic at all times and behave with logic and common sense, and not only follow government instructions with their dos and don'ts - we must be proactive in our homes, buildings, neighborhoods and workplaces.

Our behavior in front of others will lead them to do the same, at least towards us, until it becomes a habit they follow, which is something good for all. We are now at the top of the hill with this pandemic, and all that is left is to climb it down gradually and safely. May God bless you all!

"We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort." - Jesse Owens

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