"No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
(John Donne, 1624)
The mark of a civil society is how it responds to existential crisis. And there is no question that we find ourselves collectively challenged in an unprecedented way.
Here, in Canada, where I live, life as we know it has been transformed in recent days. And now, in most countries of the world, the same situation applies, with self-isolation, social distancing, closure of public spaces and private social venues the norm. How surreal this must be for most people, particularly urbanites and participants in large organizations. Our world is suddenly condensed within the walls of our abodes and shelters. Fresh air and provisioning are reserved for occasional forays to the outside world beyond our home and family compounds. Some of us are more fortunate than others with the level and quality of space and comfort we enjoy. How strange to witness the silencing of human-derived sound; how odd to see deserted meeting places. How long can we stand this enforced new reality without losing our marbles and coming into brute competition for food and sustenance, for very survival?
We have many long-latent measures in our toolkit to guide us in this. The main thing to realize and confirm every single day is the unambiguous truth that we are all in this together. In sticking together in our resolve to get beyond the tunnel we find ourselves darkened by, and out into the bright fresh air of a new day bathed in sunshine, light, warmth that only we living ones can. With common resilience, most of us will get to complete this journey; some we will lose along the way, but we will fight tooth and nail to keep them alongside us for as long as possible. We will not abandon them, for this is the mark of a civil society.
Already, stresses are beginning to show. Most nations are stepping up to the plate in mutual solidarity by taking the long view. The priority is to help all levels of society, especially those less able and equipped to fend for themselves, like the elderly, the poor, the marginalized, the health-compromised, the virus-infected. Some nations have been negligent, unfocused, slow to adapt to the clear unfolding crisis, meaning the collective affliction will be greater and longer. Some nations are already seeing the light of day as their infection curve flattens and begins to drop off. They have done this precisely by coming together, working all-out together, in common cause. The nations that will suffer most are those that drift and veer away from the vision of the common good. Already, irresponsible libertarian, morally superior exceptionalism is rearing its ugly head as national leaders of an authoritarian, self-indulgent, narcissistic bent are beginning to play their sacrificial card. Already, the socially disadvantaged, age- and health-compromised are beginning to be thrown under the bus, judged to be expendable, sacrificable by a callous, negligent 'leadership'. This is absolutely not the mark of a civil society. Shame on these leaders, ministers and thinkers who cannot see beyond their own vanity to empathize with the crisis engulfing the citizens they claim to represent.
What is imperative is that we all, personally and collectively, follow sensible guidelines to distance and, eventually, overcome this unleashed virus and help all those around us (both as extended family and community) every step of the way towards the light at the end of the tunnel. Our current physical isolation is a surreal temporary exception to the norm, to be endured in good heart. This has enabled us to connect more on spiritual and psychical levels. For no man is an island...
