Will COVId change mindsets?
Human beings are basically selfish in nature, like any other living organism. Our driving force to achieve and succeed, aim at things that are beneficial for us.
What makes humans different from other organisms is the immense capacity of our brain. We make social systems so that all those involved benefit from the system.In order to overcome the innate selfishness we made rules and general etiquettes to behave in a society.
But, did we achieve anything out of that ? Are all in the system protected by our laws and social order? If so, how thousands of migrant workers hit the road, homebound, deprived of basic necessities, when an unusual crisis struck? How could we let such a thing happen?
Now let us look into our average mindset. We stay at home, work from home, wash our hands often, wear masks, carry sanitizer bottles with us, search the net or watch TV or social media for tips to enhance our security. The plight of migrant workers is regarded as government's headache. We conveniently or absurdly forget that for any other species, 'humans ' are what we are. No distinction between the miserable people on the road and the ones sitting in the air-conditioned mansions. We can't survive in this planet ignoring fellow human beings. So, atleast shouldn't we make the system foolproof? So that everyone will be provided with basic necessities at the time of a crisis.
Yet another problem is that the mental trauma of such a horrid experience. Think of the children of migrant workers. How can we expect them to be committed to a society, that discarded them at the time of a crisis? What do you expect them to become? Any number of candle light vigils will not account for such grave misery, humiliation. How could we account for our negligence as a society?
I had an opportunity to talk to many juveniles during the course of my work. One thing that hit me most is the fact that most of them are victims of circumstances, misfortunes. Only a small percentage has anti-social elements in them. I was saddened to see how helpless they were, how little to look forward to and how anyone can't be any different under such circumstances.
The widening gap between the rich and the poor is perilous and unproductive. And pondering how much is the cost of the designer bag of a bollywood celebrity or the cost of the wedding of a millionaire's daughter is simply disgusting. Isn't there something wrong in our system? Or is it our mindsets?
I wish we learn one important lesson from the pandemic. A society should be inclusive. No-one can survive alone. And survival is our ultimate goal.
Preetha Raj
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