The Trial Of The Century

The COVID 19 virus was wandering the streets looking for new human bodies to invade. It was walking proudly and confidently after its great performance through the world. In truth, everyone was talking about Covid 19 and how it had intruded most countries. It spread fear, insecurity, and doubt. Its power had defied science and medical research and defeated the human immune system. It had threatened the life of all people irrespective of their age or gender or social status. Moreover, it had succeeded to grab people’s attention to the details of its progress. For some scientists COVID 19 virus had stood as the ghost of the new year, for most of politicians, it looked like an unexpected nightmare that destroyed their policies, and for the ordinary people it was the very enemy of humanity.

While intruding a new body, COVID 19 was detected and arrested by the police and kept in custody until its trial.

As it was expected, the courtroom was very crowded with jurists, scientists, journalists, doctors, some families of the virus’ victims and some ordinary curious people.

The COVID virus was put in a glass cage in order to protect the audience. No lawyer accepted to speak in its favour and lead its defence, that’s why it opted to plead its case itself.

The judge opened the trial by saying: “You are accused of killing many people around the world, therefore you are facing the death sentence. You have the right to defend yourself and we have to listen to you!”

COVID 19: “Your Honour! I had a noble mission to accomplish on the earth and …”

Some people from the audience stood up and shouted because they were taken aback by the word NOBLE that provoked their patience and self-control. In fact, their eyes were full of grief and tiredness. They looked lost and shrunken. They were eager to take their revenge on this tiny virus for killing their beloved relatives. The fact of listening to this horrible criminal that put an end to the life of thousands of people and spread panic and dread, was unbearable. Besides, the tiny monster was trying to present itself as a hero and defy the whole world. His Honour intervened firmly to ask people to stay quiet and let the virus talk.

The COVID virus cleared its throat and continued:
“As I said I was doing my job and it’s not easy for ordinary people to understand my speech. I am the relief that comes after pain. I am the rescuer of human beings. I am the messenger who rang the bell of danger.”

The judge: “You killed the innocent, you terrified our children, and you threatened our existence. How can you talk about safety and nobility?”

The virus: “I don’t deny that my presence among human beings was very dramatic and painful. I didn’t intend to kill people, but it was out of my control. I led a humane revolution to awaken the human being’s conscience …”

The judge: “Be honest and go to the heart of the matter. If you continue talking nonsense, I will close the case quickly and you won’t escape the death sentence!”

The Virus: “Your Honour! You are wise and patient enough to let me clarify things well and I am grateful for your attention and time. I know that what I am trying to explain is shocking and provoking, but maybe this is the core of truth. And the truth has always been revolutionary and unwelcome, but it brings about peace of mind and certainty. Indeed, I appeared and brought a set of revolutions. I showed you how weak you are! How divided you are! Selfishness and greed had spoilt your life and turned you to monsters. You were vying for dominance and possession to feed your self-esteem, self-pride and ego. You did sacrifice every beautiful thing to impose your brutal order. You killed many beautiful values. Your vices triumphed over your virtues. You put aside many vivacious concepts such as family, friendship, human belonging, tolerance and peace. You ruined nature, you polluted air and water. You killed animals and many species died out.
Your Honour, I am here to teach people how to distinguish the pretty from the petty, how to see things as they really are, how to fight their illusions and clear their minds.

I forced you to stay at home, to spend more time with your family, to set aside time and attention to your relatives and friends, to be aware of your real treasure: Health. I called for unity and cooperation. If I had tried to fulfill my goal softly, I would have failed because force and only force could stop your stubbornness and tyranny. You are mentally unstable. You know well that you are suffering of some psychological and mental disorder but your arrogance always misled your behaviour.

I am a messenger and I insist on this status by saying that I came to make you rethink all your systems. Your cruel economic system made only the poor poorer and the rich richer. The gap between classes became horrifying. You make the economic system serve your whims and lusts instead of satisfying the human basic needs. How many people died because of hunger? How many people live on the streets?
Your social system produced only beggars, delinquents, and criminals and diffused violence and ungratefulness.
It should have paved the way to harmony and coexistence, but it only spread hatred and antagonism.

Your political systems were a complete fiasco. They were built to serve the selfishness of a handful of devils instead of serving the common good of all people.
They were built to impose obedience and slavery and fight freedom.
You needed a urgent and radical regulation and you had to pay the price for that.
I am here to make you rebuild your concepts, rethink your insights, review your priorities, build a new way of living, and shape a new human future.

Your Honour, this speech should be published on all newspapers, presented in lectures, taught to new generations at schools. This message should be a source of inspiration to your policies, laws, and constitution. My words will stay alive because the power of words grow stronger as much as time elapses.

I do address your conscience to awaken your minds. You have been ruled by your subconsciousness and whims. You distanced yourselves from your pure human instinct.
So Learn to love yourself before loving the others because you did hurt yourself and the others.
I know that sooner or later I am dying but I am warning you that your cruelty will always invite many other viruses to intervene and show you the right path.”