I find it surprising that so many are now discovering or reminding themselves our common humanity is so fragile when confronted with a virus that kills on a large scale.
Yet it is self evident and it has always been so that death is our common destination and destiny. We are all equal before death.
Yet , we know that humans are not socially equal in society. We know but many manage not to bother too much with social inequality and social injustice.
The struggle against the virus
reveals that people who are ESSENTIAL for the survival of humanity are in so-called “ normal times” (that are mostly free from deadly and pandemic viruses ) are underpaid and considered to be “ti dimunn “ with hardly any social status with doctors and researchers being the exception. Let it be said that many doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and others in the health system are badly paid and work long hours.
So far capitalist societies reward bankers, traders, politicians, corporate lawyers, financiers, company directors etc with millions of dollars and a luxurious living standard .
So far.
Logic dictates that we should value those who are risking their lives to ensure we get medical treatment, that we get food, education, houses, water and electricity and roads and transport. No society can survive without them.
Yet they are near the bottom or at the bottom of the income scale.
Why?
Why such ongoing injustice? Why do they have to strike to get a wage increase? Why do they have to confront the riot police when they demonstrate for social justice
Today we are grateful to them. Today they are heroes all over the world. Macron and Trump thank them.
The truth is that they have always been heroes and courageous. They have always been the majority that has toiled throughout centuries that have worked hardest and rewarded the least.
They have so often rebelled against social and economic injustice. So often repressed, So often defeated. And they are still struggling for justice.They always will.All over the world.
The issue is whether enough intellectuals will be capable of enough intellectual honesty to address this historical problem: to consciously construct a society world wide where social and economic justice is the norm and the mark of our common humanity.
So far very little is being said about the philosophical and political dimension of the world wide crisis.
True it is that the emotional realities are so unbearable when so many are dying like flies everyday. Grief on such a scale does unite us a species.
Nevertheless, the suffering and the mourning will eventually pass.
What will matter in the long run is whether we will endeavour to bring about human dignity for all, whether we will eliminate slums, poverty, illiteracy, human trafficking, homelessness, racism and exploitation of the many for the luxury of the few.
Sooner or later the choice will become more and more pressing: either we go on pretending that the civilized barbarism in which we live should go on and on or we take action to bring about fundamental and structural changes to our barbaric civilization that is so tragic on a daily basis for billions of human beings across the world.
The Coronavirus does not care about any of us .
Have we as a species cared for the well-being of all the members of humanity?
Just check the UNICEF annual reports on the millions of children who keep dying year after year because of poverty
True, as a species we have much to be proud of.
It is also true that we have to deal with what we should be ashamed of.
Nobody becomes blind by merely closing her/ his eyes whenever it seems convenient not to see.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.As a human trafficking survivor, I think you for including my brothers and sisters and I in your exquisite description of this insane world we are all just trying to survive on. 
🥰
TattedIrishXx
Level 5
Mar 29, 2020
1
Thank you
After great pain, a formal feeling comes –
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs –
The stiff Heart questions ‘was it He, that bore,’
And ‘Yesterday, or Centuries before’?
The Feet, mechanical, go round –
A Wooden way
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought –
Regardless grown,
A Quartz contentment, like a stone –
This is the Hour of Lead –
Remembered, if outlived,
As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow –
First – Chill – then Stupor – then the letting go – E.D
I expect no radical changes to society from this, although it would seem to be a great impetus for them>
Social Psychology tends to indicate otherwise.
When we look at historical socieities and epidemic, the on the ground reality is often so harsh that the survivors simply never talk about it, better to forget and move on or risk dwelling in horrid memories. After epidemics and pandemics there comes a social response NOT to talk about it, because to do so is to inflict emotional pain on the listener. When it is over, if it is bad enough, then every family loses people, and in that way every survivor is in grief mode, thus a society in grieving mode, it becomes a taboo of sorts to bring it up.
As a boy there were quite a few tattooed holocaust survivors, but they never talked about it, too painful. It took youth begging them to talk, before they died and all memory was lost . . .
If we have a pandemic that effect will affect the survivors world.
Davesnothere
Level 7
Mar 28, 2020
2
Yes,
The grandfather or my father was a slave.. He talked rarely about slavery. But it was enough to encourage his children to find out more on our own. We did.
@Klodzan This is my new fav by Gary, you might enjoiy it too.
"Fuck you I'm Americas son! This is where I come from."
What is needed after this pandemic is a universal reappraisal of our economic model, the capitalist system itself. There are already signs that the USA and others will be trying to get back to “business as usual”, Trump has already indicated that by his imbecilic comments on how “beautiful” that would be...beautiful? The mind boggles at that man’s lack of command of the English language and the limited nature of his vocabulary, never mind the glaring realisation that he cannot grasp the seriousness of this situation, and how catastrophic it will be for not only the USA, but the world should he get his way.
Everything you say is correct, we undervalue the people we need most for our survival, overpaying those who we need the least, and underpaying those who educate and care for our children, and the sick and elderly, The capitalist model rewards greed and measures success by material wealth, the rich get richer and the poor continue to struggle. We do need commerce and industry, and entrepreneurs and wealth creators, however we need a fairer taxation and wage structure, one which distributes the wealth a nation creates more fairly. It cannot be sustainable forever for a small elite percentile in any country to hold such wealth at the expense of the majority, Perhaps we the people should say no to any politician who wants to reset things to the way they were before this pandemic, because we, the majority, ultimately have the power if we use it properly.
Marionville
Level 10
Mar 28, 2020
5
Brilliantly stated!
@Marionville A magnificent posting. We others must guard against preaching. You do really know when it is happening.You can discover other ways of finding out for yourself INSTEAD OF being told what to do from on high. NOT on EVERY occasion though. Science CAN be beautiful.
@Mcflewster Thank you for such a nice compliment. We need to be intelligent in how we go about trying to influence others...certainly not by preaching. I ran a large team of volunteers at one time in my former working life and know that most people are happy to follow the right lead when they know the end purpose, but they must know what the ultimate objective is and its benefits. Leaders need to lead from the front and not the other way round. The current batch of politicians are all populists who do not lead, they do what they think will win them the most votes and have no real interest or conviction in making the difficult choices needed to effect change.
@Marionville Sorry but you do sound as if you should be elected somewhere.
@Mcflewster I have always taken a keen interest in politics and had I not moved from Scotland to Northern Ireland I may well have gone in that direction. Politics is a different ballgame here, and I was never going to get into the quagmire that is that Orange/Green battleground!
Thank you for commenting
In the UK all homeless rough sleepers are being given accommodation to help protect them from the virus. When this is all over will they be back on the streets ?. We'll see.
Moravian
Level 8
Mar 28, 2020
2
As help for are veterans of conflict, our President is replete with grandiose dogma. He has decimated programs that help those who via mental scaring can not cope in real life. Thusly we have thousands living in tents on sidewalks in the inner city. Just as a 2nd or 3rd or 4th world country. We have better tents tho.
Doctors in America make millions.
Mofo1953
Level 9
Mar 27, 2020
0
not all of them many im sure they also employ others and pay big insurance premiums
@whiskywoman ok, the vast majority if them make millions. Happy?
Accumulated over 30 years maybe. Specialists may, highly regarded may. The vast majority do not make millions in one year or even 5.
Which begs the question "How much doe we really NEED then!. Should be a maximum wage as well as minimum.
@Mofo1953 Maybe you should. I stockpile my meds. I am a prepper. There is a whole world of natural body enhancing chemicals bestowed upon us by the gods. From caffiene to the worst....tobacco. Our minds & bodies were developed to experience & use wisely these gifts, just as the world's indigenous teach us. Governments have not evolved with the science. But we digress.
@Mofo1953Dear Mofo, You are such a "mofo". You even look like my Dad. Your turn.
Well said. I think humanity always has a tendency to divide into 'camps'. Us vs. them.
Religion. Wealth. Ethnicity. Nationalism.
Fletch
Level 6
Mar 27, 2020
3
We are geared by habits and interests.
Same habits like celebrating Xmas appear to unite us but conflicts in respect of interests such as our income level or a war cause enduring divisions that at times result in tense political confrontations. The management andoutcome of these confrontations may give rise to radical changes The status quo may last a long time but it is never permanent
@Klodzan maybe xmas unites people in Mauritius but like all scams inside USA xmas divides people from each other by abilities to purchase or invent gifts AND AGREE to the gibberish sounds of alleged vaginal virgins birthing alleged baby gawds every midnight December 24-25.... only gasoline and Chinese food places are open December 25th mornings leaving the excluded non xians alone isolated as very few Atheists here agree to meet somewhere xmas day
@Klodzan significant change is possible here WWW.HOWIEHAWKINS.US PEACE THROUGH GREEN JOBS EcoSocialism plans and principles polished over ten years running with my comrades
Too many good points here to respond to, except to say that anyone who can weave a coherent post of 600+ words has my respect.
p-nullifidian
Level 8
Mar 27, 2020
7
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