Humanity versus Coronavirus
Is this really the face of humanity?
Humans in crisis are such fascinating things to see. There has never been a better time to witness the amount of humanity (or stupidity) our species is capable of. Unlike the name we give ourselves, Homo Sapiens which is Latin for ‘wise man’, we as a collective have not behaved as such.
Firstly, one thing about humanity is that despite our differences (race, place of birth, geographic location, political view, etc — the list of what separates us is endless), we are of the same species. Hence the way we respond to a single crisis is often absurdly similar. For example, I would have never thought how similar Italians are to Chinese (except the great cuisine both culture offer) until coronavirus strikes them; ordinary citizens in Italy and Wuhan have used balcony concerts and humour to lift their communities’ spirits up, and at the very least make the best out of the dire situation. Paolo Camili’s quarantine social schedule video still cracks me up until today, and similarly, videos of Wuhanese entertaining themselves indoor still makes my head shake with disbelief.
This form of collective response can be explained by psychologists’ theories of how we behave towards threats that originate from outside a group, also called intergroup threats. Psychologists deduce that people typically respond to intergroup threats by drawing together as a society in a show of social cohesion.
On the other hand, intragroup threat or threats from within a group usually lead to a descend of society to a point which is exemplified in our current scenario where even non-infected people are considered dangerous. Instead of seeing global pandemics as a threat that is external to us — something that is attacking our cells, our bodies and our societies, people who see the coronavirus as a threat that comes from their fellow humans, will consequently be less trusting and less willing to help others.
This is the sort of perspective that leads us to the dramatic scenes of people fighting over toilet paper, Donald Trump calling it the Chinese virus, the harassment of Asian American health care workers, the eviction of African communities in China’s Guangdong province and so forth. Honestly, I feel like after coronavirus rampages around the world, I’ve seen more bad news than good.
Lastly, there have been so many theories about the origins of the virus itself. The ones that many outside the scientific communities like to believe is that it originated in a lab in Wuhan*, which is fair since:
1. We have not experienced anything like this since the Spanish Flu (which in Spain, was called the French flu and which origin has also never been discovered)
2. No one can rule out the possibility but the plausibility is highly doubtful, as shown by the community of scientists who refute this theory. So for now, I’m gonna stand by the words of ‘science people’ who can actually sequence and culture the virus’ DNA, not someone on the internet who probably failed Biology. Many stupidities arise from not believing in science, i.e. “injecting disinfectant in the lungs”.
It is, however, worrying that there are enough people who believe in this theory, that instead of focusing on trying to stop other viruses in the wildlife, there is now a pressure to close down labs, even as these labs are trying to develop vaccines to solve this problem once and for all. How much more ironic could humanity be?
Thinking about the virus as something that humankind can collectively overcome will form social solidarity; helping us band together collectively and respond more effectively to the health crisis we currently face. Even if we fail to do so, I don’t think we will be missed by any other species on Earth.
This post is part of the series which details my experience as a coronavirus bystander with 2-month 'head start' in China.1. Beijing Coronavirus Diary: Part 1
The Abrupt and Gradual Changes2. Beijing Coronavirus Diary: Part 2
The New Normal3. Let's Get Rational: Freedom Doesn't Mean Free of Responsibility
Social distancing is a privilege not everyone can affordI hope these stories will show you how parallel our lives can be despite the divide in space and time.
