The sun has just set in the western horizon. An elderly man was seen slowly walking down the quiet street towards the mosque to say his magrib prayers. As he approached the tall oak tree, he could make out the silhouette of a man with a weapon slung on his shoulder. The gunman started walking forward and when the street lights shone on him, his army uniform and UNFME badge became visible to the old man.
“Excuse me sir, where are you going?” asked the soldier.
“I am going to the mosque for my prayer,” he said and calmly reached in his pocket.
“May I see your ID, please” the soldier asked again, but soon realized that the old man had already brought out his digital ID card. With his handheld scanner the soldier scanned the ID. “Thank you sir, you can go now.”
The man nodded and started walking towards his destination. He took a deep breath of the fresh air. He was expecting to face a United Nations For Mother Earth (UNFME) soldier on his way. He knows that his information has now been digitally sent to the soldier posted in front of the mosque. If he does not arrive at the mosque soon, he will have to face legal consequences. After all, it was the first day of the Annual Global Lockdown (AGL) for the year 2070. Every year all the nations in the entire world goes into a two-week lockdown. Only essentials remain open and every other industries and offices are closed. There is a full-fledged travel ban and absolutely no vehicle allowed in any streets, except for the “Go-Green” government owned public transports. This is strictly monitored by the UNFME, which is chaired by Greta Thunberg. Our elderly protagonist smiled recalling how this lady became the most powerful person in the world.
Fifty years ago just before the first lockdown Ms. Thunberg was merely a child celebrity fighting for a better environment. And then suddenly the whole world faced a pandemic. That was when every country was forced to go for a lockdown to reduce the spreading of the contagious virus. It was unofficially the first ever AGL. Of course, there were side-effects of the lockdown then. Economically the world faced global recession. A lot of lives were lost. But mother earth regained its own. With lower carbon emission the nature gained its long-lost colour. Global warming reduced, although not significantly but it was a sign. It was probably the Almighty’s way of showing humanity what needed to be done, albeit at a great cost.
When the virus came under control all the nations around the world realized the benefits of a global lockdown. Ms. Greta Thunberg’s protests were finally taken into consideration. The heads of nations sat together at a United Nations’ general assembly and approved the AGL bill. It was amazing to see how a pandemic could make all the nations united towards a common goal. There were a few countries who initially opposed the bill. Particularly the under-developed and developing nations who were worried about the impact such lockdown could have on their economy. The aged man remembered how his father, who was an hourly wage-earner, was terrified when he heard the news of the AGL bill. But funding bodies like the World Bank and IMF along with large pro-environment movements came to the support by funding the new agency, the United Nations For Mother Earth (UNFME).
It was the duty of UNFME to ensure that casual wage-earning labours around the world got their daily meals during the lockdown without having to work. To ensure that this massive global initiative was implemented properly the UNFME has an army at their disposal. It is like the UN peace keeping mission, bringing in soldiers from around the world for a united cause. And today the old man is not scared as his father was, knowing that his wage-earning sons will be getting proper meals at least for the next two weeks delivered at their doorstep. At the same time he is happy that his whole family will be with him 24/7. He looked up at the sky and thanked the Almighty for this lockdown. He is sure that just like him, the nature is also showing it’s gratitude in its own way.
“Excuse me sir, where are you going?” asked the soldier.
“I am going to the mosque for my prayer,” he said and calmly reached in his pocket.
“May I see your ID, please” the soldier asked again, but soon realized that the old man had already brought out his digital ID card. With his handheld scanner the soldier scanned the ID. “Thank you sir, you can go now.”
The man nodded and started walking towards his destination. He took a deep breath of the fresh air. He was expecting to face a United Nations For Mother Earth (UNFME) soldier on his way. He knows that his information has now been digitally sent to the soldier posted in front of the mosque. If he does not arrive at the mosque soon, he will have to face legal consequences. After all, it was the first day of the Annual Global Lockdown (AGL) for the year 2070. Every year all the nations in the entire world goes into a two-week lockdown. Only essentials remain open and every other industries and offices are closed. There is a full-fledged travel ban and absolutely no vehicle allowed in any streets, except for the “Go-Green” government owned public transports. This is strictly monitored by the UNFME, which is chaired by Greta Thunberg. Our elderly protagonist smiled recalling how this lady became the most powerful person in the world.
Fifty years ago just before the first lockdown Ms. Thunberg was merely a child celebrity fighting for a better environment. And then suddenly the whole world faced a pandemic. That was when every country was forced to go for a lockdown to reduce the spreading of the contagious virus. It was unofficially the first ever AGL. Of course, there were side-effects of the lockdown then. Economically the world faced global recession. A lot of lives were lost. But mother earth regained its own. With lower carbon emission the nature gained its long-lost colour. Global warming reduced, although not significantly but it was a sign. It was probably the Almighty’s way of showing humanity what needed to be done, albeit at a great cost.
When the virus came under control all the nations around the world realized the benefits of a global lockdown. Ms. Greta Thunberg’s protests were finally taken into consideration. The heads of nations sat together at a United Nations’ general assembly and approved the AGL bill. It was amazing to see how a pandemic could make all the nations united towards a common goal. There were a few countries who initially opposed the bill. Particularly the under-developed and developing nations who were worried about the impact such lockdown could have on their economy. The aged man remembered how his father, who was an hourly wage-earner, was terrified when he heard the news of the AGL bill. But funding bodies like the World Bank and IMF along with large pro-environment movements came to the support by funding the new agency, the United Nations For Mother Earth (UNFME).
It was the duty of UNFME to ensure that casual wage-earning labours around the world got their daily meals during the lockdown without having to work. To ensure that this massive global initiative was implemented properly the UNFME has an army at their disposal. It is like the UN peace keeping mission, bringing in soldiers from around the world for a united cause. And today the old man is not scared as his father was, knowing that his wage-earning sons will be getting proper meals at least for the next two weeks delivered at their doorstep. At the same time he is happy that his whole family will be with him 24/7. He looked up at the sky and thanked the Almighty for this lockdown. He is sure that just like him, the nature is also showing it’s gratitude in its own way.