The planet does not need us while we need the planet, Venkaiah Naidu said. (File)
The COVID-19 pandemic should not be seen only as a disaster but also as a "corrector" that prepares the society for the next challenge by requiring us to "repurpose our lives", Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday.
In the Facebook post "Musings of Life in Corona Times", Mr Naidu asked people to introspect and assess if they have learnt the right lessons and equipped themselves to deal with such uncertainties during their confinement in the past few months.
"Constant evaluation of the course of life in all its manifestations and in the totality of context is an essential pre-requisite for a higher living. One such opportunity is now as we live with coronavirus," he said.
Claiming sole propriety over the planet as if it is meant only for humans has upset the natural balance, triggering adversities of a different kind, he said.
"The planet does not need us while we need the planet," he said.
"We are born equal and end up being unequal as time flows. The pandemic has exposed the heightened vulnerabilities of some sections which is not of their making. Your way of living could be one of the reasons for enhanced vulnerabilities of others," he pointed out.
However, the vice president said, the pandemic needs to be looked at not only as an unmitigated disaster but also as a "corrector that prepares us for the next challenge and even to prevent the next such one by requiring us to repurpose our lives".