The Coronavirus Our Future
WHEN can we see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to COVID-19, many can’t help but wonder: Even if we see the light soon, could that light flicker out? What can we expect in the next six months or even a year?
March 2021 marks one year since the beginning of mandated stay-at-home orders and workplace shutdowns due to the global pandemic. The pandemic has caused the most significant disruption to workplaces in generations.
The pandemic has massively altered how we live our everyday lives, how we engage with others, and how we do our jobs. The impact of the virus on education has been huge, with many institutions closing their premises and moving to online learning.
The Covid 19 -pandemic has turned the transport world upside down, with most governments imposing lockdowns and travel bans causing journey numbers to plummet across all modes, jeopardizing the future of many transport sectors.
The pandemic has been a setback for travel, tourism and other flows, but this is not new. The Sept 11 attacks in 2001, the SARS virus of 2002, the global financial crisis of 2008, the ash cloud event of 2010 and the US-China trade all interrupted and stalled global exchange, but it always recovered. It seems business heals, as soon as it comes but not in the case of the Covid 19-Pandemic
It is simply amazing how quickly the world has adapted to a new way of being. To a large extent, societies have managed to maintain normal life by keeping in touch with friends, family and work through digital connections.
The Covid-19 pandemic, has added a new dimension of uncertainty and anxiety to our already fragile and insecure world.
The United Nations has called it the “most challenging crisis we have faced” since World War 2.
The age-old question of balancing freedom and security remains central with new dynamics. Many are already asking to what extent are we prepared to give up our freedoms for our security.
Balancing freedom and security is also essential for an effective fight against natural and humanmade disasters.
There is no doubt that cyber security together with food security will gain further urgency, but this cannot be seen only as a matter of injecting more social engineering into the global community.
The key is to provide human security for all.
Covid -19 pandemic has shown that none of us is safe until all of us are safe. There are no longer cultural hierarchies, economic immunities or economic privileges for any region, nation or country. No country can win this fight on its own.
The World Health Organization must be empowered to take preventive action. It must take the lead in reserving funds for vaccine development and share the results with developing countries.
Wherever one maybe, even inside the refugee camps, protecting the most vulnerable must be the priority. We must remember and cherish our deeper humanity when we care for the elderly, the sick, the needy and the foreigners.
This is what is happening in countless hospitals, clinics and intensive care units around the world, where the true heroes of this ordeal - the doctors, nurses and health workers - are risking their lives to save others.
This deeper humanity must spread to every street, every neighbourhood, every city and every country if we are to defeat the virus not only with our science and technology but also with wisdom, compassion and humanity.
As we spend more time these days in our homes and also in digital spaces, this should serve as a moment of reflection for all of us. The trick, as the ancient Taoist saying goes, is to fight the monster without becoming one. Staying human in the days of coronavirus is a moral test for us all.
Every natural disaster is nature’s attempt to create a new balance. It is a response to what we humans are doing to the harmony of the natural order.
Covid-19 is a warning that we are not the masters of the universe, and the world is not our private property.
If we continue with no regard to humanity, the world will give us more viruses, pandemics and disasters.
The fight against Covid-19 must be fought by all means necessary — scientific, economic, social, security and religious.
But we should not lose sight of the fact that this is not about being rich or poor, developed or developing, but about being wise, compassionate and humane.
In fact, I still harbour a belief that 2020 will be remembered as the year the world grasped how much our well-being depends on global connection and collaboration. From 2021, let’s not see these changes as a lifeboat; let’s reimagine them as a growth rocket.
And the big question: Will we see an end to Coronavirus?