Fear, isolation, unemployment
Dealing with the Covid 19 pandemic has far-reaching and profound consequences. In the World Social Initiative Forum’s web seminar series Living in Between Spaces: Facing the Gap on July 31, Joan Sleigh presented suggestions on how we can change our attitude.
The need for action is demonstrated by three social emergencies: fear, isolation and unemployment. They are the three most important challenges of the present day, and Covid-19 makes them even more acute. The pandemic makes these social ills a common experience worldwide, in which we are all united and from which no one is spared. How can we in ourselves change our attitude from being an observer to a participator?
In the context of fear, we can ask the questions: Who is responsible for my reactions? Are they determined from outside, programmed by fear? Or am I free to take myself on and act from within myself?
John Carlin once described how Nelson Mandela reacted to the assassination of Chris Hani in 1993. Hani was a celebrated freedom fighter, and his untimely death stirred anger and polarization across South Africa. The moment he learned of his death, Nelson Mandela paused for five minutes - in complete silence - before he set out to address the nation.
This six-minute address to all South Africans was both inclusive and empathic-which saved the country from imploding into revolution. This example points to confronting both fear itself and the “gap within ourselves”, in order to liberate ourselves from paralyzing thought patterns to recognize the inner nothingness as a seedbed for a new possible future.
To see the dignity in every human being
In an era of externally imposed physical and social distancing and travel restrictions, online platforms enable people around the world to interact with each other. In my experience, human encounters are always about how to celebrate differences, and how to maintain social justice even when confronted with isolation and distance.
The common circumstances we are currently experiencing make us more aware of the real longing for human meeting. This need to develop empathy and understanding of the other brings with it the urgency to truly see oneself and every other person in their dignity, in their spiritual value, in their real humanity.
Places of contribution
Even without Corona, but aggravated by the pandemic, we are facing a huge global problem of unemployment. In this context, the importance of work goes beyond mere survival. After all, employment is more than just a monthly salary, it is a task, an activity that connects with the surrounding people and the place. Without a job or vocation, everyone is thrown back on themselves, banished into isolation. The question arises: Where does my wealth lie, do I have abundance that I can make available to others?
We need a paradigm shift in our view of work: can vocation become a purposeful action, a calling to connect constructively with the socio-cultural environment.