A different Christmas
What you need to know:
In Europe, the situation went from bad to worse, then with lockdowns, things improved, however, the moment the lockdown was eased, people took it for granted and numbers went up again
Not sure how this Pandemic marred Christmas. Celebrations happened elsewhere, but I know that in Western Europe, things have not been going well. It is getting worse by the day. One year into the Covid-19 era, and we are s
NAFHA MAANI EBRAHIMI
till struggling, the world is helpless and its people desperate.
In Europe, the situation went from bad to worse, then with lockdowns, things improved, however, the moment the lockdown was eased, people took it for granted and numbers went up again.
Europe is now dealing with wave two, and this time, people are not accepting the lockdown conditions. They are resisting, protesting and fighting with law enforcement officers. It is now an act of defiance, and with some following the theory that this is all a conspiracy, and others who are simply tired and fed up with this situation, it is a mayhem end of the year festive season. One that the world has not seen in a long time.
A friend told me that if there is one thing he learnt from year 2020, is that he will never take anything for granted again. I totally agree with our friend’s statement, and this reminds me of years 2008-2009, just after the stock market crash, and the financial crisis that hit the world so badly that some businesses never recovered. Just the year before that, we were in Dubai to buy some items for our factory, during those days, Dubai was booming, a hub for the world of business people, medical tourism and above all a real estate haven for investors. High rise buildings were sold on plans even before one brick was laid as foundation.
I remember how moving from point A to point B in Dubai was a big endeavour, with the absence of Dubai Metro, and the abundance of taxis. The latter became kings of the road and we were the slaves. Taxis were so busy that at some point they had enough and would not stop for you, especially if they heard you were going to a traffic-heavy area. It was one hell of a time.
When markets fell, Dubai fell too and everything came to a standstill, including the taxi business. So one day I discussed that with a taxi driver who said, yes we took it for granted, and we deserved what we got.
