The past suddenly seems obsolete. The present distraught and uncertain. The future alone, though somewhat uncharted, still remains unaffected. For it dwells in the realm of hope. It is designed in our dreams. The pandemic has taught us to pause and think, rather to rethink.

We contemplate over the past. We ignore the present. But we invariably invest in the future. Future is the last hope for the dispossessed. Life in spite of every odd can never be goal-less. There is always a horizon to look forward to. A destination to reach. A missed milestone is merely a pitfall, it doesn't malign the whole journey. The whole is always much bigger than its component parts. The myopic man fails to see beyond. He thinks even less. But the future has its own course. A barrage or more may merely stall it for a while. In the long run, however, it is bound to generate power. The future thus belongs to the future. The Indian nation, once ancient and primitive, is now dwelt by the youth. Fifty five percent of the present population are very young. They belong to the future. They should be invested in.

Western values teach exclusivity. Plain and simple selfishness. The y-generation learn to earn and burn. They earn more and burn to extinction. This has to be aborted by all means. The youth have to learn instead to share and survive. Life is not merely for living. Life is celebration. And celebration can never be an individual commitment. The Covid has no doubt introduced physical distancing but it has also demonstrated the need for combined rescue to recovery. Immunity to empathy is self-destructive.

The blueprint for the future has to be audacious and original. But nature ought not to be overtaken. One has to have a thorough understanding of the circumstances first and thereafter dare to shape it. We do have to be ahead of others, in fact ahead of time itself - in patience, compassion and inclusiveness. In the name of artificial intelligence we can never welcome or invite discrimination. Quality education and sustainable development should be made available to all those seeking them. We must not only be far-seeing but fair-seeing too. For that has always been the tradition with us. Thus the future we envision will create and recreate incredible volunteers of time who would courageously carry forward the mission of love and service in the wider environment of mistrust and hatred. We may not extinguish completely, but douse we can. For the future is always an undying phoenix.