Lessons to learn

These are difficult times. More importantly, these are times to learn some most basic lessons which humanity forgot in its ambitious march to conquer everything. As the threat of Covid-19 spreads, mankind realises how vulnerable it is in the face of a crisis that emanates from the nature. The difficulties have their own lessons to offer. They are testing human resilience in times of adversity. That mankind will emerge from this is also certain. History has proved this time and again. Of course, a price was paid each time, but what mattered was the indomitable will to survive from the crises. However, the essential point was that with time the same mistakes that led to those crises were forgotten and the same pursuits went on. Human beings have hardly learnt from their past mistakes and their memories are woefully short. But the micro-organisms keep on learning from their past and continuously adapt to regain their strike power. The multidrug resistant micro-organisms that give rise to the same old diseases that struck humanity ages ago keep on bouncing back. The coronavirus that has struck this time with a vengeance is a grim reminder of this basic fact. The adaptability of the virus is something that must give humanity a lesson or two. There are other lessons, too, that the present crises offers. First and foremost, that despite those geographical boundaries, racial and cultural differences, the uniformity in reaction to this corona threat proves emphatically that humanity has a common thread. And the collective unconscious hypothesis of Carl Jung holds goods. Rightly did Napoleon opine that two things unite humanity — fear and self-interest. Look the way people are reacting globally. Same ‘me first’ mind set where it comes to survival interest, and same ‘me-not’ mind set when it comes to threat. Though it is rather a tall order, yet can we not think of others, for a change? Rather than thinking of buying provisions to last till eternity can we not think of leaving something for the others to buy? An extreme example is that of the people of the United States of America who as per newspaper reports are going for panic buying of guns and cartridges. And the reason is quite strange. It is based on a chain of assumptions. First that the virus threat will last long. Second, if it lasts long there will be scarcity of basic necessities. Third, the deprived will be forced to think of snatching and looting those who have it. So the conclusion is that the guns will have to be used for defense. The point is how much can be stored and how many can be kept at bay by fire power. Sanity is giving way to vanity. To quote former President of the US, John F Kennedy — “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich”. We need to learn to share our resources in these trying times. In times of crises that threaten collectively, we need to stand collectively. Not just for me and myself but for us. These adversities are times that test not just our wit and grit, but also our character. There is little justification of people running from isolation wards and risking others. Behaving responsibly is what these times call for. Time to be human and act human.