Khandoker Asef Safa Kabir :
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized how vulnerable we are against global catastrophes. The pandemic has killed thousands of people around the world, ravaged economies, burdened the healthcare systems, and trapped millions of people in a frightening labyrinth of social isolation. It has done one good thing though. It has vigorously underscored the importance of human solidarity. It has emphasized that despite our political, racial and national differences, we all are part of the same human race. We can’t win some battles unless we are united. Regardless of our divergent identities, we all are vulnerable in the face of global disasters. We all are bound by the urge to save the humanity, when it is under threat. Unfortunately, we don’t realize the importance of human solidarity until we are all threatened by the same adversary.
Almost a hundred years after the outbreak of the Spanish flu, the world is witnessing yet another massive pandemic. How much did we learn in the last hundred years? Did we learn the importance of solidarity? Did we learn that we have to rise above our differences and work together to make the world a better place? Did we learn that we must allocate our resources, intellect and efforts for the right causes to make the world a safer place? I don’t think so.
We still observe widespread divisiveness around the world. We still have so many people not realizing the importance of working together around issues like Global Warming. We still see people trapped in their narrow, medieval ideologies that promote racism, xenophobia, bigotry and a multitude of other forms of hatred that create walls around the world. The pandemic is a wake-up call for all of us. We must put aside our differences. We must realize the importance of not only being more united, but also of creating a global system where nations are more connected by common values, such as protecting human lives, environmental sustainability, and promoting global peace.
We have made tremendous progress over the last few decades. We now have a multitude of weapons in our nuclear arsenals, we made all sorts or weaponry that can destroy the human civilization multiple times, we spend trillions of dollars in military expenditures to make our borders safe. I understand that such expenditures are absolutely necessary. They are necessary because we still live in a world full of conflicts and distrusts that constantly keep nations disconnected. The current world order has made all of us vulnerable collectively, because we are so divided.
If we had spent a small portion of what we spend in military expenditures and atom bombs in something more constructive like pandemic response strategies, we might have been better prepared to deal with this crisis. If we can build a global system characterized by mutual trust, harmony and peace we will certainly have the option to spend our money in something more constructive like expansion of the existing healthcare systems around the world, which could better prepare us against such a global health crisis.
It’s also regrettable that during this difficult time some people are prioritizing economic gain over public safety. There are some others who are taking advantage of the situation by engaging in scams and price gouging. Unfortunately, we have so many weak spots. Our ailing world has so many critical underlying health conditions.
The existing problems of the world will always keep it malnourished. For example, a large number of economically disadvantageous people around the world have no other option but to continue working despite significant health risks. A large number of nations around the world don’t have the necessary healthcare resources to fight such a global pandemic. While the pandemic has devastated economies around the world, developed countries have rapidly stepped up to support the affected communities with much needed economic relief packages. However, many under developed countries of the world failed to offer economic assistance to their citizens.
This scenario has underscored how important it is to fight poverty and economic inequality around the world, because a global disaster-like a pandemic or Climate Change will inevitably affect the economically disadvantageous people in the poorest countries most severely. And they are least prepared to cope with such disasters. This is also evident in the fact that even in a developed country like the US the African-American and Hispanic communities have been most severely affected by the pandemic. These are the economically disadvantageous communities in the US with more underlying health conditions, which are often linked to their poor living standards and lack of economic opportunities.
What I am saying is that we are not only facing a pandemic. There are issues related to transparency, socioeconomic disparity, integrity and decency that inevitably affect this crisis. This catastrophe should be an eye-opener for all of us. We must understand that the way our global system operates makes us less immune against such global disasters. Like an unpleasant flu-shot, this ordeal must help us boost our collective immunity. It must teach us that unless we work together in important areas like human rights, transparency, equality, and righteousness, we will always remain extremely vulnerable, even against tiny viruses.
We must develop multilayered strategies at the national and global levels to defeat the pandemic. At the national level, we must ensure that we prioritize public health over economic and political gains, even if that means working actively with our political opponents. At the global level, all nations must facilitate global collaboration by sharing resources, expertise and know-how. We must put aside our ideological differences at all levels to win this battle. However, winning the battle is not enough. We must win the war in the long run. We must ensure that next time when such a global pandemic reappears, we are not ill-prepared and ill-equipped. We must collectively build a unified world, which is more resilient to cope with global disasters. Let’s think carefully how we can boost our collective immune system against global disasters that threaten our vigorous civilization.
(Khandoker Asef Safa Kabir from Dhaka)
