The world is going through it’s biggest global catastrophe since World War 2. Novel Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) has swept across the globe at a rapid rate, leaving many nations struggling for resources as they cope with hundreds of thousands of infections and the mounting dead.
Despite the virus not discriminating between victims and ignoring borders altogether, nations seem content, for now, to fight the pandemic in isolation. For example, China shut down industry and sent everyone home, Russia closed its borders fairly early on, it’s business as usual in Sweden and President of the United States of America Donald Trump is doing battle one capslock tweet at a time.
Collective madness is called sanity – Paulo Coelho
In the wake of the virus, society has been introduced to new terminology such as ‘social distancing’, ‘panic buying’, ‘self-isolation’ and ‘flattening the curve’ , which have all spawned a myriad of fresh memes – the hieroglyphic language of the youth – on social media.
Jokes aside, the clips of vacuous people fighting over toilet paper have fueled the fire in terms of panic. All panic buying achieves is upsetting the supply chain, leading to short-term stock issues, which no-one benefits from. For the most part, it is a selfish, reckless act. But at the same time, can you blame the delicate 21st century human for falling into the trap?
Images of empty shelves certainly knock any confidence we have in our cathedrals of consumerism and one begins to wonder about the fragility of the capitalist culture we’ve been pushed into.
Amidst the panic of fighting an invisible enemy that is coming for your loved ones, people cannot be trusted to act rationally.
NBA player Rudy Gobert, the first player to test positive for Covid-19, made a point to touch all the microphones and recording devices following his press conference. There have also been multiple instances of people arrested for intentionally coughing in people’s faces in the hope of spreading the virus.
One also has to mention the flood of unsolicited direct messages full of fake news doing the rounds on our smartphones. People are clamouring for information, making them more susceptible to fall for lies. All this in a time where accurate information is vital to curb the infection. One has to wonder what the motivation is for spreading disinformation in these trying times. As Tedros Adhanom, the Director general of the World Health Organization, recently said: “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic.”
To continue down the path of madness, a Fox television host, clearly saturated by politics, went as far as to claim the virus was a plot by the Democrats to impeach Trump. Meanwhile, Trump himself has been guilty of politicising the pandemic, publically calling it the “Chinese virus”. With the US having a healthy lead at the top of the infection board, it’s clear that politics will not defeat Covid-19. It will only accelerate it.
These kind of knee-jerk reactions to the crisis will surely only deepen our suffering. Is this behaviour intrinsic or simply a byproduct of our society?
Civilisation is just a clearing in the forest – Osho
One silver lining to the global shutdown is that it’s given nature a chance to fight back. The European Space Agency reported exceptional drops of pollutants in the air over Europe, in particular northern Italy, just days after heavy industry closed. In China, reports indicated that emissions fell 25% at the start of 2020, while New York is producing nearly 50% less pollution due to lockdown measures.
In Venice, the canals are crystal clear and fish have returned as boat traffic has virtually stopped. A world away in India, river dolphins have been spotted for the first time in years in the Fort Kochi estuary in Kerala. In Japan, Sika deer have wandered into the streets of Nara from the nearby national park.
Hopefully planet Earth can learn from this forced shutdown. For instance: By one estimate, air pollution contributes to 8 million deaths per year worldwide. What does it say about our culture that we ignore this solvable issue?
Relax. Everything is out of control – Buddhist ideal
Whether or not you or someone close to you contracts Covid-19, the psychological impact of the pandemic is clear. The structures around us, once standing impossibly tall and strong, are supported by our faith in them. Airlines, banks, political parties, supermarkets, casinos and even the mighty Amazon are in existence because we support them. When that faith disappears, they become impermanent. Suddenly, there’s no flight home to see mom. There are no microwaveable meals at the store. And your new Nintendo Switch won’t be delivered to your door.
And that is absolutely terrifying for most.
Instead of fostering a culture of community in these tough times, the most bizarre items are prioritised. In the US, gun stores were declared an essential service, as if .50 calibres and assault rifles can execute the virus. This philosophy of each for their own further intensifies the social dislocation rife in Western culture.
On an individual level, the pandemic has brought one’s values into sharp focus. As we step out from our hamster wheel, we finally have time to ask: What is important to me? What energy have I been wasting? What problems have I been ignoring?
Perhaps this unfolding crisis can be used as a catalyst for change in us all, which would be the first step to changing the world.
A collection of original texts 