Daily Times

As the pandemic has impacted all spheres of life, it has presaged a long-term lockdown the world over. The land of Jean Paul Sartre has witnessed thousands of deaths in the first pandemic of 21st century; his widely argued authentic theme of “Being and Nothingness” has dominated the global arena and his basic philosophy is piously present with the stark-naked cruelties that ‘human existence in hostile universe is unexplained’. The world is countersigning the situation of his ‘no exit’ existential squabble as a real time laboratory, divorced from the people and the world they know. Each person has been given a choice – death or social distancing as a cure. Existentialism as humanism has survived as intensely in the mid of the pandemic as never before in the chronicles.

Health scientists, economic magnates and social liberals have started sorting the rational for the quantum of nothingness approaching within the oblivion of human existence. The pandemic has proved that life’s experiences are more authentic than knowledge. This planet needs ‘Death consciousness” as to wake itself up for real and essential taxation for the cultivation of human survival. Death becomes the final point, where we begin to cease to live for ourselves but exist only for the world. Human beings naturally draw closer together in the state of fear but social distancing thwarts this very impulse in this very contagion. The judgement of the decision makers has been challenged amid the policy of containment or non-containment quandary. The daughter of Portuguese billionaire Antonio Pierre who recently died due to the complication from coronavirus, wrote that “we are a wealthy family but my father passed away alone, suffocating, looking for something free, which is air and all our money stayed at home”.

The first pandemic of this century demands unified, cogent and collective actions by individuals, communities, institutions and governments to soften their swelling bearings. How societal and economic systems can unanimously intensify the efforts towards economically and personally challenging concept of social distancing without the social support networks for the ultra-vulnerable segments? The United Nations has warned that a hunger pandemic is imminent as 130 million people could be on the brink of starvation by the end of 2020 as a result of the virus eruption and its economic ramification. Social distancing with its economic ordeals, social sufferings and psychological traumas is being translated into a “frightening combination” around the globe.

On the launch of Global Humanitarian Response Plan, the United Nations secretary-general reiterated that the world must come to the aid of ultra-vulnerable segments of the population who are least able to protect themselves. This is a time to step up for the vulnerable. Millions of people are combating the virus with no health care, no social protection, with no food security and with no hope of instant revival of normal life. Sole bread breadwinners are worried that since deliveries of newspapers, daily wages and domestic help are down, so their means of income are diminishing hence starvation. In the wake of a partial lockdown, by contrast, lower-paid, self-employed, blue-collar workers and trades deemed non-essential by the governments are having a very hard time indeed. David Beasley of “World Food Program” has emphasized that more than three dozen countries may face real and the worst human crisis since World War II in the form of famine. If the current lockdown is curtailed and made effective, these side effects might just be manageable. If this situation continues for many months, future generations may conclude that herd immunity combined with isolation for the vulnerable might not have been such a bad idea after all.

Most of the women are part of informal low wage labour market and thus suffer from low income, food and health security

The underprivileged are suffering not only because they have been denied basic right of access to food, access to money, access to work but more significantly denial of access to inclusive communal behavior. If economic paralysis resulting from coronavirus lockdown is such that the global economy will take years to recover, and the trickle-down effects would be as devastating. It will increase social inequality gap combining all three gender, income and health inequalities. Most of the women are part of informal low wage labour market and thus suffer from low income, food and health security. Building the economic resilience for these three social inequality gaps is far more critical and pressing. Although the pre-COVID-19 existence was not even typical to social inequality, it has been compounded with the depletion of natural resources, disconnection of associations and brutal extraction of disadvantaged’s share by the stronger forces. This contagion has provided an opportunity to stitch new social- economic fabric which will more justly and equally fit to the humanity and the nature.

Health scientist, entrepreneur, politicians and common man will see that the world of this play is operating with its own set of rules – where nothing happens, nothing is certain, and there’s never anything to do. People are waiting for an omniscient savior who exists outside the boundaries of existence and time. Existence is absurd because of conflicting views of humans and nature as this very contagion is endorsing this decree. Samuel Beckett” indelible tragicomedy masterpiece “Waiting for Godot” is in play for the humanity amidst this pandemic. And this time the theater of the absurd is Beckett’s very own lands. People are not sure that they are waiting for the savior in the right place, if this is the right day or even if their savior will show up at all while they wait in secluded homes and deserted streets with a series of mundane activities and trivial chores. The bewilderment among American and British audiences with comfortable uncertainties is in stark contrast to the miseries of homeless people waiting for something–or someone- “their savior”.

The writer is a public policy practitioner and she has a keen interest in the global socio-political arena