Would you risk your comfort in the interest of society?

Hope everybody is staying safe.

Crisis brings in the real side of your personality. Crisis creates panic, stress and un-imaginable cooperation also some madness along with it. Let us look at some of the interesting behaviours as a result the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Our world runs on trust [On the face of it - it may not sound convincing, please read on :-)] We take a lot of critical decisions based on the trust (instinct+past experience). Some of these decisions can be life threatening if gone wrong. Take the example of boarding an airplane. We don't check pilot's certificate , we don't ask how many hours did she/he flew. We trust the process and diligence the respective authorities have done and also sub-consciously our brain is aware of the fact that "plane crashes" are rare. Take an example of going to a hospital for a treatment. We don't ask the degree of the doctor, we don't verify the credentials. All we do is trust the education system/institute, and the reputation of the hospital or the doctor if we have choice/can afford to.

So the decision of flying/going to a doctor becomes straight forward/easy based on our trust in the system and past data. Paradoxically, the same trust and ability to look at possibility/past data can enable us to take fatal decisions risking not only our lives but the lives people around us.

Why human beings act against their self interest?

Covid-19 spreading at deadly speed, it took all nations on to their knees. Social media amplified the devastation caused by Corona. People trying to come on to streets, congregate inspite all the negative repercussions and formal instruction from the governments. Let's agree few of them have genuine reasons. But what about the rest? One instruction should be able to do the magic ! people should just stay at home to safeguard themselves. But it does not happen like that, people come on to the streets "beating the principle of survival instinct" ! You can simply call it stupidity ! but there is more to the problem than meets the eye.

Smoker's mentality is the cause , people smoke inspite of knowing the dangerous effects of tobacco consumption and the logic they employ is similar to the logic we use "when we are taking a plane"- The probability of getting cancer is less - only a given percentage of smokers fall prey for cancer , not all. It is called cognitive Dissonance . So when people go out (In Covid -19 Scenario), people try to rationalise the decision of going out with thoughts like "Only few people are getting COVID-19" OR "I am taking safety precautions like sanitizer , mask" etc so "I am unlikely to catch the virus". The instinct and trust that are generally super useful in daily life , now acts against our own safety. We need to be super cautious about Cognitive dissonance.

The dilemma of a good father vs a good civilian

What have you done on 24-Mar after the lockdown announcement? Imagine you rushed to the super market - what was going on in your mind. The blood starts running fast after seeing so many people, it increases the panic. You have two options now "pick as many items as possible" OR "you trust your resourcefulness and the government's ability to manage essentials supply without any disturbance OR  you don't want to be one of those guys who hoards more than their immediate need. Say, you have a young daughter - now the decision making becomes tough. You don't want to take a chance of becoming a bad father - just incase you end up not refilling the supplies within time. The conflict between trying to be care taking father vs a responsible civilian - the ROLE CONFLICT . Mostly like you chose to be over protective father because you will able to personally witness the tragedy of not having enough supplies at home - you try to avoid that. Not that you are not worried about other's pain - just that you not will be able experience / witness as much as you do at your home.

Do we secretly, deep inside... admire control & authority?

Instinctively and institutionally (Democracy) human beings are against control, authority from a single source. We love freedom, choice, expression. In March , people started saying govt must act swiftly and firmly. There were even recommendations to jail people if they violate lockdown rules. Requests to bring special forces, army to ensure public stays at home. Even though there are video recordings on police beating public, no human rights activist is filing a case OR raising their voice against it. I think we all accept fear/control when fear can guarantee our safety. 

Sadly, fear delivers more accurate results than any other motivators. There are lot of incidents in the history, where one person who could incite fear controlled the outcomes more effectively - Hitler is a good example. The good thing for us is - motivating people with/ through fear is not sustainable. While hope, common good can stay as effective motivation for longer time, fear fades away easily.