WE AND THE CORONAVIRUS

That was what I voiced upon getting involved in the discussion of my fellows on the outbreak. And what I meant back then was neither an ailing economy nor an insecure political situation. My “far cry” was rather dewy “us” inhabiting an au courant world.This article is to study such notion..

To put into perspective, the so-called “civilization” we humans grappled for would hardly be that “civilized” without such corrupted things as pandemics. For they once helped get this planet into a good shape, Corona, the most recent one, is, most likely, undertaking such a “mission” again. Forasmuch as we’re witnessing a watershed moment in the contemporary history.

1. We’re adapting.

Changes take place in so subtle a manner that we’ve all too often failed to notice.

For the most parts, our perceptions towards life and death have evolved, yet hardly has every individual discerned, thus, got blown up by such transition. So have our lives.

Things once considered fictitious have creeped upon us, in a so serene manner that we could hardly ever imagine of.

Employees can now take on online commissions. Teachers have also gone online to teach their students (which goes against their will), forasmuch as students have lapped up a long vacation, adhering to an enduring. We’re, in all likelihood, earning less, hanging out less, travelling less and talking less. Still, we’ve so far barely grasped any suffering. We’re rather giving it a go-ahead.

Life, as a rule, seems more threadbare and painful. Still, for we have been granted full rights to upbeat about our all-time-lowkey-health, as well as the so-called “little freedom”, "existential crisis" complaints are now nowhere to be found. And this is when even epidemics overwhelm self-helps.

Absurdity all over ambushes us. Even the most imaginative man could hardly ever visualize that toilet paper was the first product people panic bought in the US, or instant noodles have been stockpiled at home while conventional foods still are bounteous. Action bias has, to all appearances, stirring up feelings of "must-do-something", even if it means to act nonsensically.

Standpoints have also evolved. We are witnessing the elboument of the South Korea, China, the US and Europe ikons. And bizarrely, patriotism has somehow skyrocketed. Even the Propaganda Department could hardly ever surmise such situation.

That said, for the West, one way or another, still is overwhelming our minds, the oversea epidemic news are seemingly a more “topical”, thus alluring topic.

The shift in opinion, to certain extents, have even been extreme (to be frank, for the most parts). Overseas, once whom Vietnamese took pride in, or daydreamt of, are now coerced to return in a “sinful” manner. Should the isolation room get dirt on, you won’t even be allowed to bellyache (?!)

Should tautness escalate, things might get further-reaching.

Things once considered “absurd”, are now “perfectly sane”, thanks to the epidemic.

Humans, on the micro level, still are firmly holding their independence - freedom - happiness.

That said, not until we zoom out can we notice how robustly we’ve been maneuvered.

2. The world is metamorphosing.

For the most parts, the game theory has been domineering both individual and national behaviors during time of pandemic. A man bought hundred rolls of toilet paper for he believed that had he not done such thing, others would, and he, then, would have been underprivileged. A danger foreseen is half avoided. Thus, wasn’t stockpiling better than sitting still?

That said, since everyone stockpiled, all have been underprivileged.

It also applies to national level. A country should only wholeheartedly dedicate upon knowing for sure that others have had their back. If not, countries of early quarantine could, in all likelihood, be abashed, as well as handicapped. They might eventually find themselves gambling with political risks.

To demonstrate, IMF has it that it costed China roughly $ 200,000,000,000 during the last two months, grappling with the pandemic.

This helps explain why the EU delayed prevention of the pandemics. Italy even banned China entries before the US. Still, it has been turned into an outbreak zone, for other countries did not follow this movement. Europeans, still, were travelling freely. In the end, an aging population, together with an “favourable “climate, spearheaded every case to Rome.

Since the EU bureaucracy has been so sophisticated and imbricated a system, a minority of politicians could rarely coax others to step up. Whilst data still is fuzzy, the conflict between EU countries have never been this straightforward.

Besides, the West democracy will more or less undergo a transition after this period.

Only in time of the epidemic do people take the travelling bans for granted. That said, regarding figures, these bans are, one way or another, too stringent.

Flash back to how the governments stepped up. They have so far implemented travelling bans (either going or leaving), restricting recreational activities (events, gatherings, theaters, concerts and stadiums), school closures (suspending any educational activity and letting alternative methods take over from). Bizarre enough, they have rarely faced any objection - an unprecedented phenomenon since the second world war.

The half-hearted nature of democracy then came to light when citizens were willing to take up any application to intervene in their privacy, given their previously fierce opposition to private companies doing the same things. In the end, democracy still is conquered by the living desires. Then, what’s the point of democratization?

Giorgio Agamben claims that "this crowd panic" has acted as a precursor to governments measuring to the efficiency of personal freedom restrictions. Yuval Noah Harari also argues that this is an ideal period for them to perform more cunning surveillance without any dissidence.

It’s out of the question to assess the proficiency of this in time of the pandemic. And in the future.

Had restrictions and monitoring been effortlessly done at this time, it would, in all likelihood, soon be iterated.

Inasmuch as how far can it goes, given its handsome contribution to eliminate the pandemic.

Still, the world after the pandemic would hardly be a world it once was. The EU and WHO bureaucracy must be taken into serious considerations. Attitudes towards how Chinese are getting the pandemic under their control have metamorphosed. To all appearances, others are following how they step up the virus.

On the other hand, as individuals, we would hardly discern what we would become, as well as how far our feelings would get. The pandemic is rocking the world, not on the tip of an iceberg. BUT in the deepest layers.