In recent years, no plague or scourge has put humanity on her edge as the current COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 in its devastating ferocity has awoken the humanity in all of us. It no longer matters whether one is white, black or what creed one professes. It no longer matters whether one belongs to the upper, middle or low class or whether one lives in the richest or the poorest parts of the world; whether you are a superpower or powerless republic, Covid-19 has pulled down all those artificially erected barriers, brought us low and laid bare who we are – humans. This is one pandemic that has touched every nooks and cranny of global humanity, even wildlife and nature felt its impact while many believe that it has some supernatural undertone since nothing happens outside the glance of the Creator, God.
But regardless of the fear and helplessness, COVID-19 has brought upon the world, one of the lessons of the current pandemic is clear – humanity can no longer live in silos. We have gradually begun to learn how to discover our lost humanity. Because of COVID-19, the many artificial walls we built around ourselves, seem to be crumbling. People are now consciously reaching out to their neighbours, friends and well-wishers, colleagues and even to those in far-flung places; even organisations (both faith-based and non-governmental); corporate entities have also seized the uncertain times to reach-out to a world where the poorest of the poor live without hope and succour.
Interestingly, governments that previously had lame care for its citizens particularly in our part of the world now provides food and/or financial palliatives to the poor and vulnerable. Whatever their intentions are, these gestures are timely and has helped to cushion the pain of the lockdown. COVID-19 has also awakened in our leaders’ the painful realities of the wasted resources that ought to have been deployed in building hospitals and infrastructures for the benefit of the high and the low. Unfortunately, at the moment, there are no open windows for medical tourism by the rich of the society or avenues for such frivolities because the whole world is on lockdown mode. Like the proverbial pelican, we have been forced to look back to what we have been doing yesteryears.
COVID-19 has also re-united families and strengthened the bond of family relationships. It is our hope that this and other positive sides of this lockdown will be sustained for the good of our society even as business gear up to return due to planned relaxation of the lockdown.
When this cup passes us by, as it will, we in Community Bell hope that the lessons learnt in these trying times would have been deeply engraved in our consciousness and that more importantly, no person can ever be an island.
Stay safe.
