These are testing times. Around the world, one-third of the global population is under some sort of enforced lockdown, our medical facilities and resources are challenged as never before, and the economy that unites and sustains nations and relations has been brought to a grinding halt. This is the greatest challenge of our generation that together we must face.
It is times like these that bring out the best and the worst in us, a time when our belief system is shattered, a time when our lives have been turned upside-down and inside-out in a matter of weeks. Yes, there is fear and uncertainty, worry about our family and a natural inclination to ask why, and what about the future.
It’s in this uncertainty that some seek to blame, to point the finger, to accuse. This pandemic, they reason, is the fault of others, there are those to blame, those that caused it. Sadly, this is the rationale of those living in fear, uneducated, willing to believe without looking at the cold scientific facts that are abundantly clear.
Coronavirus is undiscerning in who it infects, who it kills regardless of creed, colour or political beliefs. Trying to use it to cause hate and division serves no one other than those with hate in their hearts.
This coronavirus has been called many things. Some populists and political leaders are calling it “the Chinese virus” or “the foreign virus”. To that end, those epithets do nothing more than sow confusion and spread hate. And they simply serve to cause divisions at a time when the greatest commodity we have is our ability to work together to prevent its spread and figure out medical solutions to curtail this global crisis.
The reality is that we know little of the origins of COVID-19 other than it first infected people on a widespread basis in Wuhan. Since then, it has spread to every continent and we are all now only acutely aware of its effects and lethality.
What needs to be remembered is that China, which has curtailed the spread of coronavirus, has become the de facto leader in scientific, medical and epidemiological expertise in fighting this disease. And because it is essentially coming out of the other side of this crisis and has a large industrial base capable of making all of the equipment needed to battle this virus, it is a vital ally in helping the world community overcome this pandemic.
Coronavirus is undiscerning in who it infects, who it kills regardless of creed, colour or political beliefs. Trying to use it to cause hate and division serves no one other than those with hate in their hearts.
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