Compassion in the Time of Corona Virus Pandemic
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Choices
The global human family has come to the crossroads, and the choices we make will decide the survival of humanity. The important thing if we survive is, what vital lesson will we learn from the current disaster of the Corona Virus.
KINDNESS
The most significant question for me is whether we want to survive at all. If we survive, what do we do with the reprieve we get? Will we be kinder to the planet and our neighbour? Will we consume less, waste less, care more, take more responsibility for our actions and protect the vulnerable more?
GREED
Will national and personal greed stop, wars cease, wisdom prevail, and egos magically disappear? How afraid do we have to become to learn the hard lesson of life? ‘Adapt or die‘ was the famous advice of an apartheid president nicknamed, ‘Die Krokodil’ and yet, even he failed to adapt.
IDOLATRY
Instant gratification and instant satisfaction have brought us here. A place where we have lost all common sense and rational thinking on the altar of self idolatry. ‘I want what I want’ is a commonly accepted norm. In fact, the quicker we can supply it, the better it is for business, because tomorrow you will want more. And so we have instant food, instant entertainment, instant delivery and quantity is no problem. There is no end to the wanting.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The modern advancement in technology that sped up our development may solve our present predicament. And so it should be, since development played a crucial role in our current lifestyle. Artificial Intelligence to the rescue? In a previous article, I suggested we learn to embrace the inevitable by accepting a future where AI becomes the norm. The Corona Pandemic has propelled us into an artificial intelligence and high-tech future at a speed we never imagined.
MEDICAL EMERGENCY
AI may be the answer for mass medical care when medical staff on the front line buckle under the strain at quarantine facilities and hospitals. They could also transport and dispense vital equipment faster and even manufacture these faster and more efficiently.
SURVEILLANCE
Frontline workers are human and vulnerable and will also succumb to the virus. AI could help. Surveillance technology already exists why not put this to good use? Is this how the robots take over the planet, as suggested in some fantasy ficti0n? Strict surveillance can also be a kindness when the intention is to save lives. Governments and individuals will still decide when and how to quarantine and self-isolate, not robots. So, no, they will not be taking over the planet just yet. For those of us who champion total freedom, see my article titled ‘Unfettered Freedom’. It explains why total freedom is non-existent.
COMPASSION
Incentives to stay home should include massive supplies of technical resources to poor families who would not normally afford this. Giant technical suppliers need to step up regarding data access to schooling from home to keep the children home. For those who think this untenable, my response is, where is your innovation and creativity when needed most? Not only is this compassion, it is also common sense. What is the point of high-tech that has no one to use it because the population no longer exists?
READING
Social media use has come into its own as a positive tool for nations isolated from others, particularly family. If we love family and neighbour, we will in all kindness remain isolated for as long as it is necessary. Anything worth achieving comes with some difficulty. Is life not worth living? See it as an opportunity for downtime and developing our relationships uniquely. Perhaps we learn to read books again. ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ could be useful too.
STAYING ALIVE
Our way of life may drastically change after the pandemic has run its course. It is up to us to stay alive to see that day. The prediction of a year from 2020 before they develop a vaccine requires that we self-isolate. We must also go into quarantine when tested positive. Keeping your distance is to have compassion towards others and is not only an act of self-preservation.
CHALLENGES
The challenges in South Africa and the world are many, particularly affecting those communities where keeping your distance is almost impossible. With winter looming, huddling against the cold will tempt but could hurt. The most vulnerable people will always pay the price for the selfish and arrogant people, who think they are invincible. We may not huddle, but keeping our distance is another way of loving.
EGO
We have to be smart enough to know that obeying the rules is much more important than our egos. More urgent than maintaining our humanity in isolation, is doing all in our power to stay alive – which is the same thing – and to consider the safety of others while doing so. This time of Corona Virus pandemic has no place for macho stupidity!!
Lynda Rogle ©
