The Coronavirus will not kill us, fear and ignorance will
by Ronald Michael Quijano
A cultivated mind who knows reason knows no fear.
Amidst the effort bestowed by different sectors to minimize the panic among the citizens of every nation, ignorance and fear will overcome such an effort with ease. However, we as individuals also have something to overcome in ourselves: greed. Our ignorant society failed to cope up with the world's modernization. Our lifestyle seems to be benefiting with the product of knowledge but has no concern about the knowledge itself. We know how to use our everyday appliances but know nothing about how it operates. We have access to unlimited communication but don't use it ethically. We have cultivated more and more resources but failed to use it efficiently and effectively. We cannot let our ancestors share the blames we have on ourselves, they do not deserve to be generalized. The failure of our generation is indeed on us, and never theirs. However, our past seems to be a great platform to correct mistakes and create new ways of thinking.
The efforts of some educated minds are overpowered by those who have more concern attending to the luxuries of their desires. This year, a new strain of Coronavirus did not just cause fear to the world but also projected the compulsive reaction to such a crisis that ended up hurting our own. With ease, in only 3 months, the Coronavirus or COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. We now feel the consequence of our ignorance and greed in a form of fear. Our actions now determine what kind of persons are we. Your reaction reflects how cultivated your mind is in terms of this kind of crisis. We are all part of smaller sectors that contribute to a much larger scale. The number of cases in the world reached up to 128,000 and yet some of the most important sectors of our society took advantage of it. Here's who and here's why;
Businesses are the foundation of every nation in this modern world. Almost all segments of society seem to have been moved by this gigantic area. Capitalism is hated not just by active citizens, but also by active students. You can see everyday protests on the streets despising the effect of such abusive practices on the workforce. Irrelevant advertisements that persuaded consumers into thinking that a product is a necessity despite its absurdity. Besides, the consumers' compulsive act of patronizing such a product only provides a realization that the intent behind buying the goods did not deliver the expected result. Furthermore, the alienation of the workforce from different bodies causes outrage to most of us. These unethical practices are the very reason why we detest such a system and acknowledge communism as an alternative. The difference between a businessperson and an entrepreneur is serving their purpose, which a greedy businessperson lacks.
We hoard essential goods and resell to others twice the price. Our opportunistic nature harms not just our neighbors, but also ourselves. We strip them of the chance to protect themselves from the virus. Yet, we see our actions justified by our toxic mentality concerning the business. The problematic view comes from not asking ourselves frequently the question; Why do businesses exist? To create a profit or to serve its purpose? We are conditioned to deem that the ultimate goal of doing business is to maximize profit, our idea of success is extremely monetary to the point that we will monetize everything at hand. We forget that if only we conduct business ethically, abide by our social responsibility as an entrepreneur, and serve our purpose to society, profit will naturally follow. Take George Merck as an example, the former president of Merck Pharmaceuticals. His mindset was not how can he make as much money as possible selling medicine, instead, how can he use science to save peoples' lives. Before the 1940s, it is a huge problem to cure bacterial infections, until the development of penicillin by Alexander Flemming. Merck, the very first company to have produced penicillin outside laboratories did not take advantage of its demand, instead, he shares the formula and the production with his competitors so they could do it also saving thousands of peoples' lives. As George Merck said, "Medicine is for the patients, and not for the profits", because they will naturally follow, and if you discern in all humane business there is, they never failed to appear. Serve your purpose, and profit will follow.
Politics on the other hand, despite the COVID-19 threat to our country, fans of different parties manage to patronize their political saints and criticize their despised leaders. Fanatic Filipinos still manage to waste their time hatefully criticizing political ideologies and leaders amidst the growing threat. Last March 12, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte stated that there's no need for martial law upon the implementation of community quarantine since the number of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila is climbing up fast, he assigned the police and the military to monitor the streets to maximize the end of such a strategy. Upon the announcement, different sectors which are known for its political activism still manage to compose hate posts and criticism. What's more bothering is that they are bending facts just to persuade everyone. In contrast, Fanatic Duterte supporters are patronizing every act made by their Saint Rodrigo Duterte, right or wrong, it doesn't matter, everything is justified. For instance, the public was dismayed when Duterte irrelevantly answered questions from the press, dismayed as they are, Duterte supporters are still intact into defending the position they are holding. We must understand, that in a crisis like this, our loyalty must be on our fellow citizens. We can stand to our political ideology but we cannot enforce it to others as if it is an absolute decorum. What's harmful is that when an ideology becomes a doctrine.
Media capitalized and over-hyped the fears on Coronavirus. Misleading headlines, fear-mongering contents, and click baits. All for the sake of earning engagements and views. From televisions to newspapers, from radios to websites, every news relies on gaining engagements. But why? To maximize profits from advertisements attached to their deceptive headlines. I know that we have been taught in journalism 101 that upon creating such content attends the need to be catchy and make the readers crave to read more. But it is different from persuading. The media must preserve neutrality and help people not just to collect information but also to understand well the data they take in. The need for information seems to be an excellent practice for all of us. However ideal it might look, the output is paradoxical. We see a lot more yet see a lot less. The reason media focus on creating exhorting and baiting headlines is that because they know that most of us only read the headline and never the full content. We often disregard important data that might explain the news we are reading. We oftentimes overlooked what is important and what is non-sense. It gives us uncomfortable emotions that by the end of the day, we fail to realize that the news is far from our real priorities. Before, when waking up, we connect with nature and people, we talk, we laugh with them, we connect. We observe the dews formed on leaves and sing with the birds. Today, upon waking up, we automatically look on our phones and feel the need to be updated with the world. We think we can relax by reading or watching the news.
Religion. These days of the crisis illustrate that it's not just businesspersons, politicians and media are taking advantage of the situation, even religion. Using the situation to tell everyone that their Savior will return and the world is coming to an end, persuading everyone that the only salvation they need is to accept their Savior and nothing else. It makes clear sense why humanity deserves such a pandemic and extinction. From Quiboloy's power to stop any phenomenon to Eli Soriano's absolute assumptions. From Catholic's never-ending processions to Iglesia Ni Cristo's only salvation. From Christian's praying solution to Jehova's Witness' house-to-house revelation. The more followers they have, the more monetary donations. Prove me wrong, which of them do not demand money from their followers? Could they survive just by pure kindness and charity? How ironic that their leaders happen to have lived a luxurious life while their followers do not? How hypocritical it is on telling everyone that their holy literature promotes simple living yet their leaders can't abide? Sharing Bible verses on social media imploring the protection of their God, yet telling themselves that everything happens according to God's plan.
Last Tuesday morning, a church volunteer came knocking on our front gate asking if he can discuss something with me. Not being disrespectful, I agreed, and by the intuition I have on these kinds of approaches, I know what he is about to tell me. He showed me a Bible verse from the book of Matthew, "While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately, saying: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the end of the system of things?” Matthew 24:3. He then justified the verse by showing me another passage; "There will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another food shortages and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and from heaven great signs." Luke 21:11. He told me that what's happening now is part of what the Lord has declared as a sign of his return. I immediately realize that whoever is stupid or illogical is listening to this will panic to cause himself to join that church as they promise salvation to whoever followers they have. I calmly told him that hundreds of earthquakes occur every day and it is natural, and as the world becomes globalized, conflicts from other nations will occur, lastly, plagues or pestilences are part of nature. In addition, I argue that they have told the people the same argument every time there is a virus, war or conflict has occurred, and when natural phenomena have happened. They made the same prophetic claims during the Spanish flu, World War 1, World War 2, Cold War, Vietnam War, 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines, 2010 Haiti Earthquake, 1960 Chile Earthquake, Ebola, H1N1, Swine Flu, and to all naturally occurring phenomenon there was. What makes it different this time?
By the same token, imposing everyone to pray is another way of telling everyone to do nothing. I have composed an essay about the topic if prayer does any work. It is a separate topic to discuss. You can read it here - Does Prayer Work? But to give an insight on why praying is irrelevant is that If God is omniscient, therefore knows everything, including the future. And if God is omnipotent, therefore can bring about any state of affairs. And if God is Omnibenevolent, therefore wants to bring the best state of affairs, then God already decided what’s going to happen in every single case. To Everyone. Always. If God already decided what to do according to his will, in which case is your prayer effective? In short, if God knows what's best for you, why would you want to change his mind? It might give comfort but it is illogical as it is.
What we might want to do now is to filter the information we acquire, and not just to process it but reflect on it. Instead of fearing the coronavirus, let us contemplate the practical ways to minimize its spread. Our fear won't do us any good, our ignorance of the world will only amplify such harm, and our greed will only accelerate our downfall. Death, as it is, will never change the heroic deeds we have made for our neighbors. It is never to be feared either, only those who fear non-existence are those who have lived a life full of regrets and disturbances. By these selfish actions and opportunistic activities, we strongly prove that our species is not deserving of existence.
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Thank you for reading my essay, here are some good reads on why we should not fear or overreact to Coronavirus or COVID-19.
Besides, as of March 13, 2020, there are 135,112 cases of COVID-19 worldwide and only 4,990 deaths. Which means that there is only a 3.4% mortality rate among the patients. 70,407 have completely recovered.
The status of current patients is that 90% are in mild condition and only 10% are in critical condition due to their already existing diseases like diabetes, cancer, and such. Most patients are those known to have weak immune systems, the elderly, and those of persons with existing diseases.
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