This opinion piece in City AM caught my eye – I think the central point encapsulates what I’ve been thinking and what is perhaps the most important point to make amidst the whole corona virus pandemic. A simple idea that is getting a little lost among the noise.
A great deal has been said and debated regarding Covid-19 so far – and will continue to be for a while yet of course – but aside from all the ever-changing statistics and forecasts…one indisputable constant is that we are all in this together. In fact if we were ever ‘all in this together’ it’s precisely now, during this event.
A virus doesn’t discriminate on political lines, it doesn’t only hang around poorer communities, there’s no immunity among the rich, it has no respect for national border lines or modes of travel. It’s the great equaliser.
As such, we need to work together. Not just governments and national organisations and the WHO, but right down to the micro level – how we all treat each other. That’s perhaps even more important than the big decisions our leaders make.
You can worry without panicking, and you can isolate without being selfish.
To paraphrase the article, the best thing we can all do, beyond washing our hands, is to be generous, patient and supportive towards each other. If we use that approach in everything we do that is probably the best and most effective way to combat this thing.
- by Tariq Siraj