The
coronavirus pandemic that came in December of 2019 brought with it a kind of
havoc that has changed our world forever. The crisis has cost our world more
than three million lives. Moreover, the trauma, chaos, and uncertainty with
which we are living are inexpressible. Covid not only damaged our whole system
but also unveiled the hidden weaknesses already present in our societies. The
collapse of the global economy, weakened multilateralism, the failure of
underdeveloped countries to provide basic health facilities have forced us to
look into our own ways. While the situation is still alarming as there are new
and unfamiliar features of Covid, we can’t help but wonder what is waiting for
us in the upcoming years. What kind of changes in global order are we
expecting? There is no doubt the pandemic has taught us many lessons that have
changed our perspective towards life and death. Although the crisis is
amplifying drastic effects and risks, there is hope for new beginnings if we
decide to take proper actions and strive to bring important changes.
In
order for a better world, social inequity and discrimination must be abolished.
The covid crisis has exposed hideous injustices in our society and economic
inequalities. The pandemic is a revelation of many injustices and weaknesses
that already exist in our societies. People, who belong to lower socioeconomic
groups, are at far greater risk because of overcrowded homes, lack of
sanitation in slum areas, etc. Diseases like Covid always attack the most
vulnerable first. While the privileged people can afford to stay in homes, the
poor have no means to support their families and are more likely to suffer from
financial instability too. Those, who used to turn a blind eye to such
discrimination, have now seen the drastic outcome of such inequalities. It is
hard not to observe this cruel imbalance between humans. In order to prosper in
the post covid world, we need to do away with social prejudice and
inequality.
In
the post-Covid world, we will have to focus on multilateralism and global
cooperation. The developing economies of the world have suffered drastically.
We need to find new ways for multilateralism to operate as global cooperation
has failed to provide support to developing countries. While the world faces
the worst humanitarian crisis after world war 2, the governments in third-world
countries are unable to take control of public health and social needs as their
underdeveloped fragile system cannot bear such pressure. In order to make post
covid world a better world, we need to make such changes that will put an end
to this power imbalance. The international community will have to come forward
in giving importance to the rights and needs of humans living in such
economies. Our focus should be on the global economy, health and
multilateralism.
Post
covid world will create new priorities. We need a robust public health system.
Not only developing economies but also rich democracies collapsed while
fighting the destructions caused by covid. One of the main reasons for this was
the lack of public health problems from the presiding security discourse. In
Pakistan, less than two percent of GDP is spent on public health. We are facing
a global health crisis that is taking the lives of our people on daily basis.
This reflects the urgent need for a robust infrastructure concerning health
facilities. We need more hospitals, better health plans, and more powerful
infrastructure.
During
this pandemic, it is impossible to ignore the fact that all humans have
suffered the loss in one way or another. Seeing death consume our loved ones is
pain without a voice; no set of words, no couple of months, and no intensity of
love can unroot it. Our combined sorrows and fears have connected us to each
other. The dread of the pandemic has made us question our outlook towards
humanity. Every day, we are learning that our similarities are way more in
number than our differences. We are all afraid the same way and we all struggle
in a quite similar manner when met with pain, death, or tragedy. We are in
desperate need of collective empathy and solidarity. While we may never recover
from the loss we have faced, we will hopefully grow kinder and more
compassionate towards each other.
Covid
has changed our world forever. While we have suffered drastically, we can make
such choices that will reshape our world for a better place. History has proved
that decisions made during such a crisis change the world in the upcoming
years. We need to take collective action to grow our economies as such that
they will work for economic prosperity and safety for all. The pandemic has
made us learn a lot of lessons. One of the most important lessons is the
necessity of working together when we are facing such a problem that impacts
all of us. The world is more powerful when we are all united.
No comments: