 |
| Illustration adapted from Bhashaposhini, Malayalam monthly |
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently carried out a study
titled ‘Estimating the global spread of COVID-19’. India may emerge as one of
the worst-hit nations, according to the study which puts the figure at 287,000
cases per day in the country by Feb 2021. The discovery of a vaccine may save us yet.
One thing is certain at any rate: the world won’t be the same for quite
a while after Covid-19 has had its thandav. The world is changing pretty
fast already. Many of our activities are going digital. I am a teacher by
profession and my classes are all online this academic session so far. And it
will surely continue online for months to come. I am teaching students whom I
have never seen face-to-face. Most of them don’t show their faces online for
various reasons like lack of strong network. So I continue to each nondescript
entities, faceless people.
This facelessness is going to be one of the biggest changes in
post-Covid world. In a world of digital technology faces don’t matter. Identity
is of no importance. The trader delivers the goods you order through the
delivery mechanism without ever seeing your face. Your grocery and stationery,
even home appliances and furniture, will be delivered at your doorstep by
people whom you will never see again. Faces become immaterial. Relationships
are impossible without faces, however.
Relationships will be a big casualty in the post-Covid world. Relationships
will become virtual and be consigned to social media and other such platforms
where they will lose the potential for depth. Genuine love is never a public
affair. No one shares their deepest feelings and concerns on a public platform.
Yet the public platform will definitely remain a prominent meeting place for
people. We are social beings, after all.
The economy will struggle and endure many gasps and pangs. Governments
may not be in a position to take care of all citizens. Many will perish on the
wayside. When the medical staff will be forced to smother their agony of having
to watch their own colleagues being buried in mass graves without the last
loving gaze from the beloved, what are the ordinary mortals to expect?
Many publications will die and many others will go online to survive. The
process has already begun. Many other industries will meet worse fates:
tourism, hotels, and so on. Will there be any tourism left? Not for a few
years, I think. Even to travel for some serious purpose, you may need to have
some additional papers attached to your passport proving your health
conditions.
Perhaps, our medical science with all the advancements it has already
made will get us a remedy for this pandemic and save us from the worst possible
consequences which could be starker than what is presented above. The world has
passed through similar phases earlier too. Let us hope that we will emerge
without too many scars and setbacks from this too.
PS. Written for Indispire Edition 333: How different will the world
be post Covid-19? How different travel, relationships, institutions, etc be? #PostCovidWorld
Such a faceless world is disturbing to think of. But then again, it is thanks to this technology that relationships will last at all. Our lives will revolve around screens for quite some time now.
ReplyDeleteSomething is better than nothing and the technology is definitely doing great service.
DeleteWe can hope so but the scars will be way too many. It's a scary premonition but most likely to be true.
ReplyDeleteGiven the Indian predilection for neglect of all sense, the worst can happen. But I'd like to be optimistic. Maybe India can learn lessons yet.
DeleteThe virus will change our social interactions unrecognisable.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it's already doing it.
DeleteTourism, hotel etc are some of the worst hit sectors. Hope the pandemic is over soon and the world is back to business as usual.
ReplyDeleteI share your optimism.
DeleteEveryone, rich or poor, is affected by pandemic..
ReplyDeleteUndoubtedly, pandemics are great levellers.
DeleteAlvin Toffler had predicted this facelessness in his book 'Future Shock'
ReplyDeleteWill you be conducting examinations this year?
We've already finished 1st mid-term. Semi-online.
DeleteI think it might bring people closer. Like the above comment about rich, and poor, I think everyone will finally realise that material things don't matter, people matter. So, many people are out there helping. We keep seeing all the evil which is always at the forefront, but now, we also get to see the good in people. So, many of my friends tried helping the labourers, the senior citizens, and others. Many similar businesses are helping each other instead of competing. Maybe in the post covid world humans would finally find their humanity.
ReplyDeleteAdversity works both ways. But more often than not, the dark side of man comes to the forefront when the going gets really tough. As long as there is enough to around, it does go around. But when that's over, the problem begins. That's what history teaches us. But I'd love to share the optimism you display here.
DeleteThe imprints of this pandemic are definitely going be long lasting. The life has slowed down its pace in unexpected ways. Let’s hope it to be better (in at least some aspects) in coming future.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the effects are going to be much deeper and more painful than we might ever imagine. But we can also hope that every catastrophe brings some good with it.
DeleteYou paint a very scary picture here as we go forward post covid. But that is going to be the reality and the sooner we prepare ourselves for it the better we will survive i guess!!
ReplyDelete