I remember how much I enjoyed my summer vacations in Kerala during the monsoon season, but it seems now it has led to the loss of hundreds of people and their livelihoods. Water levels were already high in mid-June. In a span of just two weeks, Kerala is going through its worst flood crisis in a century. Most of our neighbors have evacuated from their flooded homes to relief camps. Every day people are posting pictures of demolished homes, people being airlifted from rooftops, and kids crying as they watch their parents’ corpse floating away. Several people are still trapped under fallen down homes and buildings caused by the landslides. It’s so heartbreaking to see the land where I was born to get washed away like that.

Even despite this crisis, what’s really heartwarming is how much this is bringing other people together. Kerala used to be in a state where men were not allowed to sit with women in buses, mosques were segregated, political groups were protesting against each other, differences between other religions, races and the rich and poor were uprising. For the past week, fishermen are willing to lend their boats to rescue people. Celebrities and other people are coming forward to help in relief camps. My mom yesterday shared with me a video of a group of kids in the camps eating together from one plate. If only people don’t lean towards empathy and being communal only when a disaster like this happens, the world would be a better place. There is nothing more important for our survival than how we treat each other. We need to train our brains to work on treating each other with respect and compassion.