“We are risking our lives in our line of work to find a cure, so please do your part and stay home for us”, “ Together we can get through this if we all cooperate”, “Help where you can”
The word fear. It holds such depth with its plethora of connotations, which could be taken both negatively or positively. As we all sit at home with our loved ones, gluing our eyes onto the television screen to find out the latest news of where we stand, truly reflects the tough times we are in. The word fear is not the only one who sits on this unnerving pedestal. Social distancing- The alarming and yet foreign two words we all wish was not a common one to be used in recent news, let alone start to be a part of our norm. However let’s put a pause on it for just a second. The enforcement of social distancing among ourselves can be draining, but have we ever thought about the purpose of it and how it leads to a term called Social Contract? Just hear me out, and trust me, I am not going to jump into the nitty gritty of philosophy or politics. It is a different view of what Social Contract is all about.
According to the website, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the definition of Social Contract is, “the view that persons’ moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form a society in which they live.” A self explanatory definition of how our world and social system works. Breaking it down to its very essence, it defines how we all have a job to make our society work. It is just like how the nuts and bolts, together with a little oil gets the gears going in a machine. Now, relating back to the current issue we are facing with the Coronavirus, or better known as Covid-19, Social Contract plays a role in a different way as to how we are able to overcome it.
We have leaders, law enforcers, essential service employees, and citizens. Each and everyone of us are facing a crisis with an unknown fate of what is to come from this disease. It is a virus that does not discriminate nor cherry pick its victims. It rolls in with every intention to harm should you step in its line of path, and will not take a second guess of it. A dark and trying year 2020 has been so far, and it is a somber juncture of where our faith is being tested. We have our frontline defenders such as doctors, nurses, law enforcers, medical staff, service workers, politicians, and many other brave souls, who are putting their lives on the line for us. A battle of uncertainty with an enemy of no physical form has our frontline warriors keeping up the good fight with every ounce of energy they can put forth. As much fight we can bring, the wrath of Covid-19 is close to bringing our world to its knees, and as citizens of this great earth, we should do our part to help our leading combatants. I know… the question is, “What can we do? We are not doctors nor law enforcers.” Well my friend, this is where Social Contract comes in and here is where we as individuals can do our part, even if it is just a smidge.
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We hear the sayings such as, “Please stay at home” or “Refrain from overbuying. Get what you need only.” As simple as they sound, they are the bullets in our society’s chamber to obliterate Covid-19 out of its very existence. The virus is primarily transmitted through contact and as such, we touch everything around us. Of course, we overlook the amount of things our hands or body make contact with, therefore it is crucial to adhere to the call of social distancing, isolation, and movement control. Our leaders have a duty of providing the information us citizens require. Our doctors, nurses, and medical staff took an oath to act in accordance with helping the sick. Our law enforcers swore to serve and protect the people in their community. Our essential service workers working in industries such as telecommunications, sewage, water, electricity, food production, and others, are working around the clock to ensure the comforts of our homes stay intact. They are risking their lives to put a stop to the spread of the disease and to ensure we are safe from it. So if our leaders call upon us to do our part by staying home, then by God you do your duty on the social contract we evidently signed as we stepped into this world, by sitting your butt down on the couch, and spending as much time with your family. These people who are out there fighting the good fight wish they could hug and kiss their family, but they can’t, because they are putting our lives and their family’s first; as a consequence, neglecting their own. Believe me, it’s nerve wrecking to hear the people we know who are at the hospitals day in and day out treating patients by the droves. Let that settle in your head for just a little. Just think about it. The collateral damage caused by irresponsible actions, weighs heavily on the world scale, and when it tips over, we may never recover from its cataclysmic destruction.
Do your part, and follow the orders that have been given. This is not the time to be selfish in thinking of yourself when others are worried about your life more than theirs. They do not have to be out there risking their well-being, but they know it is their duty after signing the social contract of being a doctor, nurse, or world leader. So you should adhere to your social contract as a citizen by listening to what these people have been crying out to the world for you to do. This is the time where we all should put our differences and ego to the side, and work together, because we are all fighting a common enemy. I know we are scared, and having the thoughts of uncertainty of seeing what the next day brings, or losing a family from the virus is blood curdling. However if we work together and do our part by practicing social distancing, and being considerate of not over buying, we can make a dent in pushing our enemy to retreat. Social distancing does not mean complete isolation with no communication. Call your friends and family, whom you have not been in contact with for quite a while. Some may have lost their jobs due to Covid-19, therefore we should be there to give our piece of encouragement to keep their spirits high. Check in constantly and work on the finer things in life we have taken for granted. Communication comes in many ways and forms, and it can be a powerful entity to make things better, even if the start of the conversation is as little as, “How are you doing?” Use it wisely to spread positivity, instead of fear and panic of false and mislead information. There is no room for hate, negativity, fear, and recklessness, but there is ample space to show solidarity, kindness, love, support, positivity, and hope. Let not this virus cripple our spirit, for we will bring it to its knees if we bind our support, together with our frontliners to fight it. To all who are reading this- Stay safe, stay healthy, and by all means stay positive. Our faith may be tested in this trying time, but rest assured we can rise above it and get through this, by practicing the social contract we signed, to keep society in balance.
World Footprint 