Lest we forget

You saw the countless black body-bags. You saw a slew of army trucks bearing away their own fallen citizens. You saw tireless, dedicated medical staff struggle while wearing poor protection. You saw weary sanitation crew struggle as front-liners.

You saw ad-hoc policies determine the choice between human lives and the economy. You saw governments of various nations make terrible choices. You saw who and what was thrown under the bus as the going got tough. You saw, clear as crystal, the values your leaders (chosen or otherwise) displayed using the ultimate power they now wielded in times of crisis.

Promise me you will not forget; lest the lives sacrificed and heroic efforts of ordinary people will be in vain.

You saw how some “big businesses” cringed and claimed unable to sustain themselves for a few months without Government financial aid. Besides the unfortunate citizens on daily wages, some of us with reasonable monthly wages also claimed to be unable to sustain ourselves and our families for a month or two? What business activity have you committed your entire lives to that you are now unable to sustain for even a few months? This, even after financial institutions declared that they will delay repayments of loans and rents? With a family, adults did not need savings as they would surely never become ill and then placed the burden entirely on their employers. Is there then no difference between you and the poor daily-wage earner?

Lest we forget, there were business tycoons who donated millions, NGOs who ceaselessly pitched in time, effort, and money, medical personnel who volunteered, and heads of agencies who made the right decisions (sometimes despite the politicians). The perfume factories that produced sanitizers and fashion designers producing PPE and most of all, the simple men and women who did “small things with great love” wherever they were and helped their unfortunate neighbors.

We bow to these nameless heroes. Now we must plan for the future.

My thoughts and fears are well expressed in the article Julio Vincent Gambuto

In his article, Gambuto stated, “The greatest misconception among us, which causes deep and painful social and political tension every day in this country, is that we somehow don’t care about each other….. Men don’t care about women’s rights. Cops don’t care about the communities they serve. Humans don’t care about the environment. These couldn’t be further from the truth. We do care. We just don’t have the time to do anything about it. Maybe that’s just me. But maybe it’s you, too?

Brought to a standstill by a tiny virus, now we have the time. But we feel terrible. Helpless and mortal. In this vacuum, the desire to feel good again arises.

Julio Vincent Gambuto’s dire prediction is this “What is about to be unleashed on American ( and global ) society will be the greatest campaign ever created to get you to feel normal again. It will come from brands, it will come from the government, it will even come from each other, and it will come from the left and the right. We will do anything, spend anything, believe anything, just so we can take away how horribly uncomfortable all of this feels…”

“And so we are about to be gaslit in a truly unprecedented way.”

He feels that the campaign to make us feel good again starts with disclaiming that the pandemic was really that bad or that the images were fake, the press lied and the figures were doctored. You did not see the callous and pitiless blunders made by Governments with no empathy that caused chaos and disgust. You did not see all major religions rendered helpless. As ever, some may choose to rewrite history.

Next will come the blitz from multibillion-dollar advertising to fill up that vacuum in your heart. You are traumatized by your heartaches. “But brilliant marketers know how to rewire your heart,” says Gumbuto. Business and government are about to band together to knock us unconscious again.

But we have been taught that this is how capitalism works! We must jump-start the economy. Really? Is excessive consumerism the answer AGAIN? Wasn’t this the root cause of many of our present problems? Try this for a small change in perspective. Does this make economic (and moral/ethical) sense: can we consider a bonus for front-line health/sanitation workers financed from reducing the entertainment allowances of Work From Home top civil servants or Government Linked Companies?

Choose the kind of world that will be your legacy.

Make a conscious choice on what YOU do with your family time and resources, what and where you eat, what narratives you send out on Twitter, Facebook, and Whatsapp about our diverse communities. And of course, make sure that you actually step out and elect your leaders wisely.

Promise me you will not forget.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.