COMMENT | The human experience in the Covid-19 outbreak
COMMENT | Merely months ago, Covid-19 was an intangible phenomenon in faraway nations; today, humanity is under lockdown and the very structure of society has been dismantled. Pinpointing an area of our lives that has been indelibly changed by the outbreak is a task so straightforward it becomes difficult: how do we choose between healthcare, with millions infected; the economy, as unemployment skyrockets worldwide; or the law, exploited for increasingly autocratic purposes?
Discussions about the outbreak are often caught in these large frameworks - important, but neglecting the nuances of each person’s experiences. With this in mind, this article will instead focus on how the human experience has been transformed in three ways: firstly, through tribalism and fragmentation; secondly, a more complex understanding of connection; and finally, the disruption of normalcy.
Firstly, the pandemic has sparked a trend towards division, as fear prevails and politicians prey upon insecurity. From India to Italy, divisive parties already fed upon the populace’s discontent with diversity (presumed to cause economic and social decline) before the crisis. The tribalistic sentiments such parties evoked - defensiveness and antagonism - have proliferated as we scramble for a sense of security and someone to blame.
Individually, it is most prominent in panic buying, captured in viral clips of fighting shoppers that encapsulate a regression to ‘us versus them’ survivalism. On a social level, "otherisation" has manifested in "No Chinese" signs in Seoul, mistreatment of resident Africans in Guangzhou and countless other instances of discrimination against groups baselessly deemed vectors of disease.
In addition to prejudice against specific individuals, people have expressed their fear by ...
COMMENT | Merely months ago, Covid-19 was an intangible phenomenon in faraway nations; today, humanity is under lockdown and the very structure of society has been dismantled. Pinpointing an area of our lives that has been indelibly changed by the outbreak is a task so straightforward it becomes difficult: how do we choose between healthcare, with millions infected; the economy, as unemployment skyrockets worldwide; or the law, exploited for increasingly autocratic purposes?
Discussions about the outbreak are often caught in these large frameworks - important, but neglecting the nuances of each person’s experiences. With this in mind, this article will instead focus on how the human experience has been transformed in three ways: firstly, through tribalism and fragmentation; secondly, a more complex understanding of connection; and finally, the disruption of normalcy.
Firstly, the pandemic has sparked a trend towards division, as fear prevails and politicians prey upon insecurity. From India to Italy, divisive parties already fed upon the populace’s discontent with diversity (presumed to cause economic and social decline) before the crisis. The tribalistic sentiments such parties evoked - defensiveness and antagonism - have proliferated as we scramble for a sense of security and someone to blame.
Individually, it is most prominent in panic buying, captured in viral clips of fighting shoppers that encapsulate a regression to ‘us versus them’ survivalism. On a social level, "otherisation" has manifested in "No Chinese" signs in Seoul, mistreatment of resident Africans in Guangzhou and countless other instances of discrimination against groups baselessly deemed vectors of disease.
In addition to prejudice against specific individuals, people have expressed their fear by shunning the world as a whole. The Schengen area has reimposed borders for the first time in decades; part control measure, part hostility. Granted, there have been multilateral efforts, such as cooperation by longstanding foes Iran and the UAE, and China’s provision of supplies to countries in need.
Yet, the world persistently questions the motivations behind such supposedly altruistic acts - China’s "mask diplomacy" is a suspected geopolitical manoeuvre, for example. Protectionism and distrust triumphs when we most need partnership.
This is an important demonstration of how rapidly even a hyper-globalised world can revert to tribalism and isolationism, and - at the risk of being reductive - a lesson to us all. How we react to this in the aftermath of the outbreak is entirely up to us: will our borders and doors remain shut, or will we follow precedents set by the crisis to collectivise against other urgent global issues?
Something that suggests the latter is a realisation many have come to - the importance of connection.
Analysts predict accelerated growth of the tech industry as a result of Covid-19, pointing to a current surge in usage of platforms such as Zoom and Google Meets for school and work. Additionally, corporations are currently demanding more cloud capacity and stronger infrastructure to cope with a glut in teleworking employees. But for many, technology - online entertainment and videoconferencing - will have lost its allure.
Unlike those living through the 1918 influenza, we are able to contact our loved ones and entertain ourselves with games and shows; despite this, we are sequestered and feel increasingly isolated, just as they did. Loneliness is an invisible yet growing epidemic - 2.4 million adults in the UK report feeling lonely, with the elderly particularly at risk. "Touch deprivation" is also detrimental to our health and interpersonal relationships. While technology does provide us with some solace, as we spend more days in quarantine, two-dimensional screens become poorer substitutes for true interaction.
Better interactions
How can this longing for connection be harnessed for good? Firstly, through a better balance between technology and humanity: having spent so much time online, we now yearn for something more concrete, and society’s unhealthy Internet obsession is likely to decrease. Secondly, a newfound appreciation for people. It has unfortunately taken an emergency for us to grasp the significance of our relationships and essential workers (healthcare front-liners, delivery drivers e.t.c.)- but it is better than no such consciousness.
Both of these realisations can be channelled into better interactions - made possible by a desire to connect and without the constant interference of social media - and gratitude for frontliners whose service has long been ignored. Hopefully, a post-Covid-19 world will be fuller of kinship and less of division.
This world, however, may not resemble the one we left behind. Without a vaccine, we will not return to normalcy for a prolonged period of time and, even so, the transition will be painfully gradual. Lockdowns will be gingerly lifted and placed again (as is beginning here in Malaysia); when outside, we will be masked and distant.
This is the "new normal", but it lacks what we need to feel normal - stability, day-to-day interactions and a sense of safety. We had often taken everyday habits and moments for granted, but this crisis has shown us that we relied upon them for assurance - routine acts like a daily coffee run helped us feel in control.
Having every semblance of regularity stripped away, coupled with financial distress and fear of the virus, has caused mental health concerns in many, such as what trauma psychologist Shauna Springer calls "chronic threat response". Previously detested routine is what we now desperately need.
Stability’s importance often goes unacknowledged because it is seen as a given - when we go through hardship, we are comforted by the assumption that society will function through it all. This pandemic proves us wrong. Our new recognition that normality should not be taken for granted should be directed into introspection.
Especially after reviewing the disparities between countries which have managed the crisis well, and those that have not, it is evident that stability hinges upon the decisions of each individual: countries where elected leaders acted decisively and openly, where people protected the collective and stayed home, are relatively stable.
Clearly, communication and collectivism are necessary to maintain normality. These values, as discussed previously, are growing in prominence in the public consciousness; we need to continue championing them through our actions and leaders. Moreover, we are increasingly aware of the power of our actions in controlling the spread of the virus, forcing us to reconsider our wider impact. Recognising this interdependence, people may hopefully reorient their beliefs in a more communal fashion.
Overcome prejudice
Throughout this article, we have discussed the ramifications of Covid-19; however, we still have to consider them in context. The hardest-hit areas need the most help rebuilding, especially as they tend to be populated by low-income minority groups (e.g. NYC’s Washington Heights). Similarly, the immunocompromised, refugees and others are extremely vulnerable.
These inequalities are critical - we can continue work and play in the comfort of our homes, but those without such privileges - such as the 75 percent of Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) that lack the infrastructure to implement distance learning - have been left behind. For the first time since 1998, global poverty rates will increase.
Despite our best efforts to generalise, each individual has sustained the crisis differently, some far worse than others - we ought to acknowledge and act upon this. The virus affects us all regardless of border, class, or any of the other characteristics we arbitrarily segregate ourselves along; recognising this is the first step towards social cohesion and reforms to aid the less fortunate.
Only when we overcome prejudice can compassion and community flourish, perhaps through greater investment in public goods (e.g. healthcare), reduced political polarisation, or simply in small acts of kindness. Ranging from "mutual aid" groups delivering care packages to vulnerable strangers, to the implementation of comprehensive relief packages by world governments (the UK is covering 80 percent of workers’ wages to keep them in jobs), there are already positive signs.
This is a critical juncture to push for international and local cooperation, which is crucial if we are to tackle this pandemic. Being a global issue, it can only be effectively addressed with the wealth of resources and information that are proffered by the partnership. This is already happening in the world of science - the development of a Covid-19 vaccine is currently accelerated because of collaboration between researchers. We should emulate their example.
The trajectory of humanity will be a better one, if only we capitalise upon our current epiphany of connection to transcend barriers of country and class, and upon that of stability to elect more competent and democratic leaders that make sound decisions to contain crises. This is not a silver lining per se, but a golden opportunity to reverse our current path towards division and mitigate against future crises.
The disruption and destruction wrought by the Covid-19 outbreak are almost unprecedented. In spite (or because) of this, we now comprehend what we truly want and need: collectivism, connection and stability.
The human experience - the way we carry ourselves, treat others and understand life - will be irreversibly different. If this change is harnessed correctly, we may well emerge from the rubble more understanding, united, and better equipped to tackle whatever the future holds.
LEE EE JENN is a student at the Garden International School. The above won honourable mention in the recent Oxford-Cambridge Society of Malaysia's essay competition on Covid-19 for youths.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
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