COVID-19 A Boundary Situation
Since there are pre-given options available to
the general public such as quarantine, social distancing, even nine minutes
lightning added in the list. No matter what you believe but it is necessary to
keep oneself as well others safe by acting rationally and responsibly.
Moreover, I think a positive attitude and mindset is equally required to face
the horror of the COVID-19. Taking
the sufferings of this pandemic positively and assigning meaning to it would be
a profoundly significant task that can help people to confront it in a
meaningful way with courage and dignity. There are both positive and negative
ways of assigning meaning to this life-threatening pandemic. But one must adopt
a positive attitude; a negative attitude means resigning oneself to it. Broadly
speaking the whole world as of now is facing this traumatic wave that has
brought extreme suffering to the entire humanity. A positive attitude gives us
hope and makes us feel at ease.
There is no permanent state of human life. An
Individual's life is constantly moving into different spheres of pain and
pleasure. No matter if pain over weighs pleasure life, however, should be
accepted with all sufferings and hardships. The hard realities of life should
be admitted with the hope that it is not going to stay forever. As stated in the Quran "surely with
every hardship there is ease". This approach neither changes the nature of
the suffering nor demystifies it rather it prepares the human person to accept
it and confront it with courage.
No doubt present situations are
critical in terms of human suffering. But humanity's suffering is not new
rather it is as old as humanity. One can recall historical events like world
wars, natural disorders, diseases that have caused huge damage and destruction
to human life. We know that humans experienced misery and suffering since the
first man Adam came to the world and human suffering will exist as long as
humans exist. Thus human existence and suffering are ontologically linked
together. In this connection, one should take the adversities, difficulties,
and striving as a lot of human life. But at the same time, it is equally
important to know that humans alone have the propensity to deliver its
suffering and making sense of it. Therefore, we must see the present situation
as a new phase of human suffering. In this situation also life cannot be lived
without struggle and suffering. Thus, it shows that suffering, struggle, and
death are inevitable human conditions and the best way of dealing with it is
admitting it and confronting it instead of evading it.
Though COVID-19 is an inherently negative experience, we cannot change its
nature but we can change our approach to it and make sense of it. There are
many ways to find or assign meaning to our present circumstances. Each human
person can see this pandemic from a diverse point of view. Some take it as a
response from nature/ planet earth to which we rational beings seem more
damaging than any disease or virus. As it's observed that human's unethical and
irresponsible approach to nature has brought the whole world to the greater
threat of global warming. An American philosopher Noam Chomsky also reveals in
his recent interview that the two great threats are approaching the world,
'global warming' and 'nuclear war'. As of now, the whole world is overwhelmed
by the horror of Coronavirus. I came
across one of the speakers saying nature too experiments and "what if this
Coronavirus is nature's way of
eliminating the human virus". It sounds high and reminds rational species
(humans) to correct themselves and act responsibly for the benefit of the
whole. Otherwise, nature may discard human species too as it discarded other
species like dinosaurs, ramapithecus and so on. Finding any meaning with a
positive attitude can make the present suffering easy to face and probably
inculcates a sense that stops us from being cruel, selfish and irresponsible to
nature.
Any meaning that can be assigned
to our present human condition depends on what perspective we behold. I think
any attempt to examine the offshoot of individual actions is the beginning of
the change. The present circumstances seem to offer the opportunity to each
individual to revisit his/her stock of merit and demerit (karmas) and try to
rectify them. Human actions from a moral and religious point of view are
supposed to minimize pain, maximize general happiness, promote well-being and
justice in all spheres of life but on the contrary, the condition of humans in
the world today is seriously different. The beliefs of capitalism and fascism
have changed human's moral and social order. Do we ever bother to examine our
endeavors and stand accountable?
Have we ever thought that the
wrong use of power has certainly enhanced human agony and suffering? Humanity
throughout the world experiences lockdown and restrictions. Maybe this
experience will remind them of life in Kashmir, Syria, and Palestine. Maybe
they will rethink the extreme sufferings, exploitation, and killings of
innocent people. How can we forget a Syrian, bleeding kid saying "I swear
to God we do not have anything to eat and drink" because they have been
bobbed, killed and their houses destroyed in the Syrian crisis. I watched him
narrating his malice and atrocities. He seems expecting nothing from the world
but his statement "I am going to tell Allah everything" sounded very
high. How can we avoid such striking experiences? The story is not confined to
one child there is much more to the story of human suffering. Doesn't it open new avenues of thought? Maybe
the idea of hereafter where justice in terms of reward and punishment is promised.
Doesn't it create a sense that God has to respond because justice could not
prevail in the human kingdom? And what
if the present situation is just the beginning of the wrath of God?
Today's condition of the world is getting
worst day by day. We observe sudden imprisonment, world-wide lock-down;
cessation of all human activity. In this time disintegration and separation
have become prevention, romance, hugs, and kisses become weapons. The fear of
death has forgotten the fashion of atheism. Dread, forlornness, and chaos make
people feel that no human power is that valuable or wealth that powerful to
release mankind the clutches of agony and suffering. Thus, in the present
boundary situation, people seem not craving for material things not desiring
for worldly pursuits. At the moment, people sincerely approaching God for their
ontological exigency except for those whose eyes, ears and hearts are sealed.
In a pragmatic sense, this belief is true because it has utility and it affects
people at the larger level, changing their attitudes, releasing their fears,
gives them hope and healing in their difficult situations. Thus approaching the
present situation from the religious standpoint also makes it easy and
tolerable.
The interesting aspect of the
present boundary situation is its awakening call that reminds the human person
its "existential finite" and brought major human activity on the
moral paradigm. One can find a tremendous change in human behavior in real-life
situations. Thus, the pandemic despite being panic brought an apparent change
in the people. The sudden move from ordinary lifestyle to moral and religious
spheres shows a major fall in immoral practices and wrongdoings of people
excluding practices of the priests of hatred and violence who are spread hate,
beating poor and needy people for their religious identity. This expected
change may liberate the world from overloaded impurity, hatred, violence and so
on and bring peace, love, goodness, and justice into the world. At least one must assume that the present
situation wants us to correct ourselves, correct our roles as rational and
moral beings, and correct our relationship with nature, with fellow beings, and
with God. The present circumstances are hard but it gives ample opportunity to
add a deeper meaning to one's lives.
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