The solution to the virus lies in our ability to understand others.
It is generally understandable why governments around the world chose to lock down their countries in March, as we were facing a virus that seemed to be a cause for alert. Yet, as weeks and months went by, we realised that the projections of mortality from most large institutions, where far above reality. This has been credited to the specific policies that have been enacted, (lockdowns, masks, distance, etc.), which has led to a neglect of factoring in other variables.
A simplified understanding has been developed, wherein we either enact as strict policies as possible or allow large amounts of people to die. This is in many ways a perspective that seems to make sense, yet at the same time this simplistic understanding also limits our ability to comprehend not only the nuances of how this virus affects us, but also the bigger picture of our relationship with viruses. Furthermore, it fosters a divisive mentality between us, where one is either on-board with the perspective given by the government, or someone apathetic about human life or a “conspiracy-theorist”.
An example of an outlier when it comes to these policies is Sweden, which has famously taken a much less restrictive approach to handling the virus. For this very reason it is currently, and has been since March, being criticised for failing to contain the virus as well as its neighbouring countries. Yet, when simply comparing the death-rates of countries, we exclude valuable information. In the case of Sweden, there was a much more sudden and surprising surge in cases early on, in part due to many people returning after their winter-holiday traveling. Furthermore, Sweden is rarely compared to countries such as Great Britain, The Netherlands, France, Spain, all of which are countries that have implanted very strict policies, yet have similar numbers of deaths, relative to the size of their populations. In this comparison it seems that the virus spreads largely unaffected by lockdowns and mask-policies.
A further problem with the above-mentioned approach, is a failure in the comprehension of the ripple effects the policies have on the population. For while billionaires such as Jeff Bezos have seen remarkable increases to their wealth, millions of people struggle to earn enough money to sustain themselves or their businesses. Even worse, the concerns of these people are written off as selfish and apathetic, without understanding that they often lack the ability to work from home or to retain a solid income under extended periods of lockdowns. Additionally, there has been increases in the amount of cases of domestic abuse and in the psychological distress of isolation combined with financial uncertainty.
All the while, governments are enacting laws allowing for forced vaccination and isolation, on the mere suspicion of infection, with very little transparency as to their decision-making.
Upholding the polarisation of opinion, and failing to regard every aspect of the situation, will only entrench us deeper into division, and obstruct any wholesome solutions.
