THE DEADLY VIRUS; MORE DANGEROUS THAN CORONA VIRUS – LACK OF SENSE OF HUMANITY

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools”- Martin Luther King Jr.

It’s everywhere. Everyone is feeling it; I’m talking about Corona Virus or if you like, COVID – 19. I hope you have taken a personal responsibility to adhere to the guidelines given by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the various governments on physical distancing, proper hand washing, sanitizing, wearing masks and other personal protective gears, eating healthy and taking hot fluids. While you are doing all this however, how is your soul? Are you using this corona virus pandemic season to reflect and become a better human being or have you resulted to mastery of more greed and trampoline on virtues of humanity?

Why am I asking this?

On our Television screens and social media channels, we come across updates every day on this pandemic and how it’s being received by various individuals, groups and entities across the world. It warms my heart to see how in a short period, people have embraced technology for continuity of various operations and telecommuting has become a thing; I have used Zoom in the last one month than I ever have all my life. It’s also impressive and fills my heart with hope, joy and excitement to see organizations and individuals taking up initiatives like the violinist lady in Italy who took to the roof of a hospital and connected to a speaker, beautifully played her violin to the sick and the medics in the hospital and the neighboring residence. FIFA also enlisted the help of 50 football stars to appreciate the efforts of healthcare workers on the frontline of the COVID – 19 pandemic in a campaign titled “We Will Win.” These and many other that go unnoticed or unmentioned are very beautiful gestures to show some love, comfort, kindness and mercy during this awful time; to show that indeed, there is a lot we can do to support each other and hold each other’s hand in this season.

I have also come across updates on people taking advantage of the proceeds to support the needy and diverting them to their pockets. What level of greed is this? In some parts of the world, videos of people being mistreated in the name of being responsible of the virus have made it to the social media sites and as a reaction by the commonly know KOT (Kenyans On Twitter), an hashtag #ChineseInKenyaMustGo has been trending with sentiments like:“China has allowed black people to be beaten. Now it is our turn to beat Chinese in Africa as this is the only message they will understand”; “Kill them”; “I will never respect this shit guys. I will be calling them Coronavirus”; “It will reach a point where Chinese will have to walk from where they are staying in Kenya to JKIA because I don’t think I will stand boarding the same car with them.” While I am Kenyan and a black and proud citizen of Kenya and the beautiful continent of Africa, I am a human being and this to me is what is most important. What China is doing (if they are actually doing it) is inhuman but by reacting the way we are, are we being any different? Are we showing any sense of humanity?

Reiterating the words of Martin Luther King Jr., We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. By together, I mean as human beings; as humanity. There is no need of surviving corona virus if we keep manufacturing and harboring more dangerous viruses like greed and lack of the sense of humanity that leave us as walking corpses.

On which side are you?

By Wanjiru Kaburu