Coronavirus and Reflections on our Humanity

What does it mean to be human? When we say we are human beings, what do we really mean? What is the most valuable asset or treasure a human might have? Or what is the greatest threat to humanity?

The answer to the above questions is more complicated than one might think. People get lost in the semantics, subtleties and nuances of the definition making it difficult to come to a common understanding, let alone to agree on a definition. As a common citizen of the world, without undertaking an academic exercise, I have ventured to give some reflections on each of the questions above with the hope that they will stimulate thinking and lead to action that might improve our lives as humans and citizens of the world.

Today, March 20th 2020, half the world is in lockdown because of the COVID-19; the Coronavirus disease that has infected people in nearly all countries on face of the earth. Life as we know it has come to a standstill because of an invisible, menacing enemy.

Fear, uncertainty and anxiety are gaining ground faster than the spread of the virus; misinformation and fake news are spreading even faster; our best brains are dedicated and working hard around the clock to find a way to stop the virus. And people are doing the best they can to protect themselves and pass on the little information, rumors and conspiracy theories that they have or have received or that they have always been convinced of. Some people are even going much further by suggest an apocalyptic end time.

Some governments are doing all they can to protect their citizens by announcing ambitious stimulus plans, reducing interest rates to nearly zero while other governments are just hoping that they can wake up one morning and find out that it was just a nightmare after all. Even when dropping a sensitization message here and there, government oppositions are taking advantage of the situation to push forward their names and agenda. 

Businesses are looking for the best way to survive if they cannot profit from the situation. And those which can profit from it are working hard to take the largest share of the profit. Parents are worried about their children; families have depleted their savings to make some provision and prepare for the worst and those who are already sick and infected are living in isolation with questions and worries that I cannot even try to image…. and most terrifyingly the death toll in countries with the best medical facilities, systems and policies in place is frightening. Others have chosen to take the time to find out or speculate on who is to blame for the pandemic and the current state of affairs. 

Why is all this happening? You commonly here the answer: well that’s human, what else do you expect?

What does it mean to be human then? I believe that there are two major ways of getting to the truth about any definition or understanding. Number one, we may listen to our subject long enough and come up with a rough understanding and definition of who and what they are, or Number two, we may scrutinize their actions, behaviors and motives (ignoring what they say to a large extent) to have a sense of who and what they are.

Though listening can be informative, I believe that actions, behaviors and motives reveal the reality better as these can manifest spontaneously and can even surprise the person manifesting them as they spring from deep down. And the more we are faced with a life threatening event the more they manifest.

The history of humanity is full of lessons and clues on the nature of a human beings. We may think and may like to give a more sophisticated definition of our humanity but our past and present actions and those of our ancestors have a way of revealing our real nature, what we hold dear, what we fear the most and what we’ve constructed as a “super-shell” on our humanity.

As human beings, we love to think of ourselves as the strongest and most advanced being on earth because of our ability to effect and affect other beings or things at our will, but history has shown time and again our fragility. I believe that there is some truth to our belief in our special position in the hierarchy of existing beings; because human are capable of accomplishing some amazing things that we can hardly believe even as human but that we finally take for granted after some time as they have been accomplished by one of us or as they become the new normal.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Words attributed to Neil Armstrong as he became the first human to step on the surface of the moon.”

When Neil Armstrong stepped on the surface of the moon on that July 21st 1969 at 2:56 UTC at Tranquility Base, somehow we all as humanity, born and not yet born (like myself) made that step with him; we all traveled with the Appolo 11 Crew those 386,243 Km from earth to the moon and came back to earth. Moments of great achievements like these, create a sense of awe, admiration, enthusiasm and belief that human beings can do anything, even achieve the impossible.

However, humanity has also been faced with challenges that have threatened its existence on the planet. Moments of great calamities and disasters (both natural and human-made), in my opinion, have given us a window in understanding humanity; what we value and the relative importance of the things which we are concerned with in our everyday lives. Things like politics, citizenship, race, wealth, pleasure, fame, profit, learning, titles, love etc.

Calamities and natural disasters especially, have one thing in common – they are completely and 100% impersonal. They don’t care who you are, what you have, how much you know, how much you love or hate them, your race, opinions or other affiliations. In other words, nature doesn’t seem to know that we are living on the planet. I would even further say that our survival is irrelevant for the planet. We need the planet to exist and live but the planet doesn’t need us, AT ALL.

There is a common denominator that eliminates all our differences and affiliation when it comes to nature and the COVID-19 pandemic is proving that one more time to our busy, hasty generation as other calamities have shown in the past.

Who would have imagined that with all our plans, technologies and seemingly important things to accomplish, we would come to a realization that our survival depended on us stopping everything and staying put?

1. Humanity’s main concern:

By taking extreme measures; we have all, without realizing it, admitted that health and survival is the most important thing to us, it is our real bottom line. That all things can wait, I mean ALL THINGS, you name it! And interestingly this understanding is consistent with history and our nature as humans: Survive first and then do other things after.

The reason we’ve all implicitly accepted (with some murmuring certainly) these extreme restrictions that have been imposed to us to stop the virus, is because we all know that our survival is the most important thing and that it is our greatest desire and pursuit. We desire to live long enough (past the event) to tell the story.

The reason there seem to be unanimity and unity against the virus, is because the disease has created a binary fight/war. All humans, from all affiliations are on one side and the virus is on the other side and we all understand that we are in this together and that it is in our best interest that our neighbors are healthy because they health means ours. It is somehow selfish but selfishness seems to be one of our greatest motivations.

Could humanity learn from these binary fights and apply the learning in solving other major calamities that it is facing? By creating that binary tension to tackle calamities like world hunger, abject poverty, illiteracy, injustice, and other deadly disease? Even with my best hope, my sincere is answer: Not in the near future and for one simple reason: Whenever a part of humanity doesn’t feel threatened it completely loses the desire and drive to find a solution for the affected, especially if they look or are different from them.

Imagine if the COVID-19 only infected one of the categories that we have super imposed on humanity as race, or country; and now think what the rest of us would do? In the best case scenario we would study the phenomenon and write about it or even laugh over it and maybe eventually help as philanthropist with paternalistic tone and in the worst case scenario, we would ignore the issues and go about our lives as if they don’t exist (unfortunately the later posture is the most common). We tend to ignore anything that doesn’t not pose a direct existential threat for us, however worst it may be for other people who, in our opinion, are different from us.

“Most of us must learn to love people and use things rather than loving things and using people.”

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

My definition of Humanity then:

So for me a human, is a being that is capable of thinking, striving for survival (first for his or herself and then for others according to the situation) using his/her brain and freely seeking to find fulfillment.

So when we say we are human beings, what we really mean is that we can think, we strive for our survival and we can freely seek fulfillment. Anything less than that is dehumanizing.

2. Our most precious asset:

So the greatest asset, treasure we have as human is life. We may not admit it that way but that’s the truth. When life is threatened, we are capable of adjusting our priorities (sometimes without counting the cost) to preserve it.

And that’s why we love and celebrate our heroes; because in one way or another they all give their lives so that we can live. So your life is your greatest asset, treasure that you have and therefore the greatest gift that you can give not only through death by martyrdom but also through living purposefully and productively. Think about how your life is much better because of the inventions that other people have made! Think about how relieved we will all be when one or some of us will find the solution for the COVID19 pandemic!

It then goes without saying that taking a life is the most hideous crime one can commit. Not only in directly murdering another human (s) but also in acting, behaving in a way and maintaining systems that threatens their lives.

3. Our ultimate desire

It should be clear then that the greatest threat to humanity is its extinction. It matters less the origin or cause of the potential extinction but the result will be the same.

There is deep desire within humanity to tell its story… And what good will it be if no one is left to tell the story?

To show you that we take this story telling desire very seriously, we have archeologist and historians who take time and invest significant resources just to try to reconstruct ancient stories and preserve them. We see this every time we watch a movie and our favorite character dies… now imagine if all the characters died in a movie! We would very much feel disappointed (at least I would). Why is that? I’m suggesting that it is because we need, deep down, someone to tell the story, to see the end of the story. To preserve our species.

I remember growing up and hearing my dad tell stories of how they grew up, my eyes would be wide opened as I imagined every bit of his story. And I am glad that he survived to tell the stories and he is still around to tell many more...

The saddest thing with our brothers and sisters who have died from the virus and others causes, is that they will not be there to hear the end of the story. How things finally turned out! And more sadly, we will not be able to hear theirs. Isn’t that the most frightening thing about death? Being removed from the story with no possibility of contributing anymore? Isn’t this why our heroes and loved ones never die as long as we can perpetuate their stories? Being forgotten is therefore, in my opinion, our greatest lost (both for us as individual and for humanity as a whole – a species). A life that matters in this sense, is a life that can survive physical death and continue living on through its contribution to humanity regardless of the relative significance of the contribution from a human perspective.

Humanity should not deny anyone that privilege to tell ones story. To live it to the fullest. We should all fight to insure that fundamental right.

4. Conclusion:

I believe that events like this COVID-19 pandemic should teach us humility and remind us that we are just human, intelligent but fragile, civilized but also primitive, creative but also predictable, bold, courageous but also fearful. 

When the virus is infecting the person it does not take into account any of our super imposed considerations like titles, races, wealth, poverty, origins etc. All it sees is a habitat. From the richest person in the world to the most destitute, forgotten poor, that’s what we are after all: A habitat with the same vulnerabilities.

Could we unit as a people to address all other calamities that are killing some of us because they happen to be living in one particular part of the world? A part in which they had no choice in choosing? At a time they also did not choose?

Let’s remember, we are all just human. Let’s put affiliations aside and work together to improve life on earth. FOR EVERYONE!

Let’s write the story of humanity differently. And let’s give each on as a chance to be part of the story.

“Do not let the roles you play in life make you forget that you are human.”

― Roy T. Bennett

“No human being shall acquire a superpower, being human is such a superpower”

― P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar

Muhindo Malunga Lusukiro

Reflections on life, humanity, development and leadership

muhindoml@gmail.com | +243 993 401 064

Skype: Muhindo Malunga Lusukiro (muhindoml) | Twitter: @muhindoml