A few days back I was having this chat with a relative of mine about the virus problem which seems to be redefining everything. The strictly religious soul she was, she told me everything was in the hands of The Almighty, and that all we needed to do was pray. Aren’t most of us doing just that! Even those who used to scoff at things religious seem to have been hit by a new reckoning. “But,” that’s me talking, “I think we also should do our part.”
Confused; that was what she was. The lines crisscrossing her forehead said it all. Maybe she thought I was being somewhat blasphemous. “What is he saying about doing parts? (In times when there are those who profess to have a direct line with The Almighty, no wader my relative was confused.
“I mean we have to listen to what the medical professionals are telling us, and also stick to the guidelines coming from officials. You know, like washing our hands, social distancing.” It was like an entire liter of the sourest solution was poured down her throat. Every muscle of hers practically shrinks.
Look, the very concept of social distancing is a bitter pill to swallow for many. Ours is a society so closely knit, telling people, “You’ll have to stay away from others. Keep your distance even from your neighbors, by at least a couple of meters,” is the toughest undertaking one could think of. What! Stay away from neighbors! The surprise on the face of my relative wasn’t the product of ignorance. Not by any chance! It has deeper roots. Of course, she has heard the things I was trying to tell her on the media. But like many with the same line of thinking she was in denial, as if the messages weren’t meant for her. Believe me such things aren’t as easily done as said.
“Do you mean we should lock our doors and keep away from our neighbors?” Well (A heavy lump in my throat) “Yes that is what we should be doing.” That, for her and many like her was tantamount to being banished to some modern day Siberia! “We should do our parts and then ask God to come to our help.” I don’t know if I was saving myself or the messages! “It is only until things improve.” That did it for me; she changed the subject. We cannot take things for granted thinking people would understand all they are being told. More efforts should be put on the real facts to make people understand this was not one of those problems which would just go away without much fanfare.
There is the story of this guy who always complained; “God, why are you not blessing me with the lottery prize?” Every time there is a draw of the lottery he complains for not being among the winners. Then God throws him the curve ball; “To win the lottery, at least you’ve first to buy the ticket.” Isn’t that weird, wishing the seven digit prize without actually never having bought a single the ticket! Most of us are doing just that, praying for divine intervention without doing the most basic things ourselves.
At the weekend I was at a far corner of town for some errand. It was not a happy me that returned home. Things were as if nothing was happening anywhere in the world! Everywhere I turn to there were masses of people hugging, shaking hands and acting like spoilt kids. To make things melodramatic of sorts many teens were shouting, “Sanitizer for ten birr! Sanitizer for ten birr!” and the same people who hug and do all of those not only crazy, but fatally dangerous things flocked to buy them! We really have to do much better than we currently are to make people understand the gravity of the problem.
A colleague recently bumps into this guy he didn’t see for some time. He stops a meter or so from the guy and starts saying, “Hi…” but he never got to finish his greetings; the guy practically flies through the air and gives him the mother of all hugs! “It was as if he was doing it deliberately!” He being a highly sensitive and a no-nonsense sort of fellow demands, “What do you think you’re doing!” and pushes him off. The guy, this colleague of mine says, turned purple with shock! The fact was that the act was not about him being malicious or whatever; it was just a habit which was part of his personality for decades and breaking it off was nowhere close to easy.
Yes, we really have much to do to wake up to what is going all around us. Many think that total lockdown like the likes we see elsewhere could prove somewhat difficult in country with such a high percentage of the population unemployed, and hundreds of thousands leading hand-to-mouth existence. But if and when the need arises what has to be done, has to be done. There’ll be no way around the reality of our times. That’s why we should double our efforts to allow people to see the whole picture as it is minus the tons of misinformation and disinformation.
Incidentally, they say tough times are the litmus tests for human behavior. When the sun is bright and shining everything flows quietly. People are at their best. After all the waters are calm and the boat is moving steadily; what could be wrong! But when the going gets tough things change. All that has been lurking under the skin comes flying out. The fellow who only missed the wings to become a full-blown angel grows the fangs and the nails like those Jurassic Park creatures. The lady who was all smiles and never had bad words for anyone turns into the vilest of human beings.
But then there are those silver linings filling our hearts. Recently the business people are acting in ways many of us would never have dreamt of. They are giving away their buildings, hotels residential houses, warehouses and the like to help the fight against the spread of COVID-19. Theirs aren’t simple, one-off acts we see now and then. They are practically giving away businesses which could have gotten them millions and tens of millions in revenues. Such kindness prevents us from losing all hope on humanity. When things calm down, as they will sooner or later, history will have a special chapter for them. Three cheers for them.
People should be able to see the whole picture and nothing less!
The Ethiopian Herald April 3/2020
Ephrem Endale
Contributer
