I have just returned to the UK from South Africa and one thing that I have noticed is the level of fear in the country. The feeling is most palpable and is far worse than it is in South Africa. I wonder why?
That Covid is the root of the fear is obvious but why should people feel so frightened? After all there have been serious epidemics in the past, I remember Asian flu for instance back in the late fifties. People became very ill and there were many deaths but it did not engender the fear that I feel now. Yes, dying because it becomes impossible to breathe is a frightening way to go but the number of people dying measured against those who contract the disease is not enormously high. The recovery rate is really quite substantial. Whilst I do know of people who have died from Covid, I know of more who have recovered. So why this widespread fear?Undoubtedly, the bodies politic in nearly all countries panicked in the face of the pandemic, the like of which, no one living can recall. In their anxiety to stop the spread of the virus many resorted, with the support of the scientific community, to control and compulsion. They could see no other, speedy, way of keeping people safe. There are two problems implicit in the use of compulsion to enforce compliance. First, many people see it as an invasion of their basic liberties: The freedom to make up their own mind about how to respond to new and potentially deadly, challenges. Second, many become conditioned to accept the government must know best and they slavishly follow the dictats of the politicians. After a while resentment builds up both in those who resent their freedom being curtailed and those who assume restrictions are temporary and accept them. Resentment that is fueled by perceived selfish actions by whichever group one is opposed to. This easily turns nasty in some cases.
All this is in complete contrast to the widespread welcome of the first lockdown, which many found resulted in levels of peace and tranquility that were wonderful and most unexpected. So what changed? First of all, the economic consequences of the lockdowns became really serious despite government efforts to alleviate the worst effects. People were unable to manage financially and the enforced restrictions on social intercourse were mentally and emotionally damaging, particularly to the young and the elderly.
In order to administer all the new restrictions, governments empowered a host of bureaucrats. Not unexpectedly, bureaucracy often failed to take the human dimension into account when fulfilling their new responsibilities. Also, governments, in their anxiety and haste to overcome the threat of the virus became overly dependent upon statistics. Statistics, which with the best will in the world, were bound to be massaged by those wishing to impress their masters or by hard pressed medical staff who saw compiling statistics as a totally unnecessary burden placed upon them.
To the politicians, statistics seemed the ideal way to bring home to people the true seriousness of the virus. Unfortunately it, unintentionally I’m sure, produced a mindless fear in many hearts. Speaking to people since I returned, I find they saw this fear and resentment grow, not only towards the authorities but also against individuals refusing to be vaccinated for instance, when a second lockdown was implemented. Human beings are naturally gregarious and a lengthy period of social isolation raises high levels of resentment. After all, few, apart from those living through WW 2 had experienced such restrictions. Restrictions which were in some ways even worse than those in wartime.
Fear unfortunately feeds upon itself and spreads like a black cloud over the planet. We have been reminded before that the greatest problem is fear itself, rather than its underlying cause. Fear is completely irrational and under its influence the actions of human beings become totally illogical and hurtful to others. We cease to act with compassion and understanding and become slaves to outlandish ideas and theories. Without compassion, humanity becomes aggressive and makes no allowance for normal human weakness. We create a world where the strong are allowed to rule the roost without !et or hindrance.
The challenge facing us all now is not this terrible virus but how to get rid of the underlying fear: How to return to normal social interaction once more. Covid is undoubtedly here to stay and, like it or not, we have to learn to live with it. After all, the terrible flu pandemic in 1919 was little different and we have learned to live with its presence in our lives. Flu is still deadly to certain people, but we don’t live in fear of it anymore. So it must become with Covid. The sooner we accept this and allow it to become one of the many risks we face in life, the better. It will need us to exercise sensible precautions but if we do, things should return to what passes for normal fairly quickly. Let us vow to return to helping each other again and not adopt uncompromising attitudes towards our fellow beings. Let us try to become less intolerant and more empathetic. Do that and life will resume its normal pattern quite quickly.
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