Pause for Thought

While we are in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic (Greek, pan = all, demos = people), and it can hardly be more true that people all over the world are being affected by Covid-19 in one way or another, this surely offers us time and opportunity to reflect on the global situation which preceded this worldwide disease and how things might change as a result.

We are almost all, no matter in which country we live, being reduced to a common denominator of restriction of movement with consequent lack of real, human (as opposed to electronic) access to family, friends, food and fun! Of course there are those of us that are more fortunate than others.  I compare myself, living with a wonderfully caring wife, the two of us in a nice house with a small garden in which we can relax in the spring sunshine, and daily walk the dog for important exercise in Savernake Forest or on the Downs, to those cooped up in a small flat in a high rise tenement block with three small children.  And in the latter case one cannot imagine the impact that this must have on the mental health of the occupants.

In Marlborough’s linked, predominantly Muslim community of Gunjur the same restrictions of movement are being applied.  In that community under normal conditions, one meets with a ‘social wealth’ which, to a large extent we have lost. 

Children are playing in the traffic free streets, children who appear to be known to and belong as much to the wider community as they do to their parents and families.  The restrictions imposed by health and safety regulations and risk assessments in our society are simply unknown and would be totally incomprehensible in any African community. 

Men and women are out on the streets in the evenings, after work, chatting about a friend’s illness, a cow’s birth of a new calf or the state of their vegetable gardens.  Or 2-300 attend Friday prayers in the central mosque or as many as 3,000 people are gathered for communal feast day prayers at the open prayer ground.  All this now restricted!

Are not these very restrictions and our isolation from each other, which may last for 2-3 months, a real opportunity to consider and reflect on what are the fundamentally important aspects of life for us all?  And isn’t the outcome of one of these reflections that we are all interdependent, dependent on each other.  Our burning of fossil fuels here is changing the climate in Africa and negatively impacting on food production there.  And where do my cup of coffee, my rubber belt, or my lunchtime bananas come from?  The world is represented in Waitrose and Tesco.

The Southern African word of Zulu origin ‘Ubuntu’ – “I am because you are” – comes to mind in this context.  It is a word that was particularly espoused by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu when he chaired the South African ‘Truth and Reconciliation Committee’ set up following the transition to democracy in that country under the Presidency of Nelson Mandela.

“Truth and reconciliation” – fine words.  And might they not apply to us all while we are in this period of shut down?  How might we use this time to consider how we might honestly build a better world for all? 

One area on which there has already clearly been and will continue to be a major impact is on the economy – Greek ‘Oikonomia’ = household management.  This, to my mind, implies a state in which we manage the resources that are available to us to our mutual (Ubuntu “I am because you are”) benefit.

Governments and businesses are constantly expressing concern about economic growth and in the currently climate the impact that the coronavirus pandemic is having and will continue to have on that growth.

Is not now the time to ask the question “In the animal kingdom, we grow until we reach our destined height – is there not a time when we should consider that we have reached our economic destiny and need grow no further”?  It was the King of Bhutan who in 1979 stated “I consider gross national happiness to be more important than gross national product!”

Given the disproportionate impact that coronavirus will have and indeed is already having on the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America in particular, whether on death rates or inducing yet higher degrees of poverty, is this not an opportunity to say “to hell with growth, which ultimately favours the many billionaires around the world – let’s consider how we can deal with the disparity between the very rich and the very poor at a global level.  Let us share our existing common wealth (hmmm Commonwealth, made up of 54 countries – we could start here) to the point that there is a real equality in the world and people develop to their maximum potential”.

Development  = French – ‘de-envelopper’ “Remove the envelope” i.e. take away the constraints of illiteracy, lack of access to clean water, lack of opportunity, impact of climate change etc and allow people to become free to make choices and reach their desired destiny.

In a study undertaken for Oxfam many years ago by an Indian couple who were concerned that while Oxfam was addressing poverty in India and Africa, nothing was being done by the organisation to deal with poverty in UK.  They spent three months each living with the people in the Gorbals district of Glasgow, Moss Side in Manchester and in Gloucester.  Their conclusion was that they had never witnessed poverty amongst the poorest tribal people of India such as they had witnessed in these three communities in the UK.  “You have a sophisticated social service system in the UK but if you fall through the net of social services there is nothing to catch you below, whereas in India the extended family and the community would naturally provide that support.”  And the same would apply to Africa.

Is this not the time to consider, in all humility, where we, as a society, have got things wrong and could learn from those that are economically less wealthy but socially much better off than we are, and at the same time share some of our economic wealth so that ultimately we reach a common humanitarian equality?  Let’s address internationally our social and economic disparities!