The Vulnerable World
The 21st century that is virtually now a digital global world that has the best of technology from AI (Artificial Intelligence) to IOT (Internet of Things), weaponry to combat any attack and potentially destroy any nation, advanced health care facilities for mitigation of any disaster and the economy which is around US$90 trillion based on 193 countries according to IMF, giving a glorifying picture of how the world is progressing.
However, the picture looks altogether different from an individual nation’s point of view with ever-rising terrorism, control of land, trade and the competition to become a superpower is bridging the gap between rich and poor nations.
Countries that are providing technology, labor and manufacturing facilities at a cheaper price are getting the business and the countries, who do not have are struggling. This has led some nations opting for a paradigm shift from being an agrarian society to follow manufacturing model.
The world has faced enough from World War I to Gulf war that virtually brought everything to a standstill. But every time countries had fought the hard times and overcome these crises.
However, what the world is going through now after the outbreak of the disease Novel Coronavirus in Wuhan, China brings a question mark on the human race. This disease was declared a pandemic in March 2020 and later the name was changed to COVID-19 spreading over 200 countries and territories with approximately 1.6 million cases resulting in approximately 95,000 deaths and effectively paralyzed the global world with the lockdown of states, borders, and countries. So far approximately about 354,000 people have recovered. (Source: John Hopkins University)
This horrifying data brings that even the strongest of nations like the U.S, France, Germany, Great Britain are on their knees. Every country today is following lockdown and social distancing policy to counter the exponential spread of COVID19 with some countries following in early stages and some in disaster stage particularly the developed nations. Perhaps the situation looks more disastrous with a shortage of health care facilities, health workers and shortage of masks, ventilators and also a shortage of food and water for those who live on daily wages.
Over the centuries human beings have progressed manifold especially after the Industrial Revolution and the advent of computers in our life. With the resources limited and wants unlimited, we are potentially tapping on all the resources that soon will disappear. This has led to increasing pollution at alarming levels in the world. But we are not learning even it is evident that global warming is bringing tremendous change in the temperatures that have resulted in the disappearing of ice caps and glaciers leading to more rainfalls, storms, floods and drought.
The untimely time bomb called COVID-19 though has eaten up the economies of the world but there is another side of the outbreak. With an unprecedented picture of clear nature due to the impact of shut down of industries, travel and so on, COVID-19 has given a chance for resetting the mother earth. Although, the lockdown of the world is temporary as for now only social distancing seems effective to control the transmission of the virus but the only solution lies in the development of a vaccine which is still a few months away.
The question here is what will happen when the vaccine or any effective solution comes, we will be back on the streets, back with the business. Will we follow what we were doing earlier or we will be able to control the unnecessary wants that we have done in lockdown days. We all know we will able to overcome this outbreak in few months but what we have to learn from here as there are more time bombs that can bring uncontrolled disasters more dangerous than this and that is global warming.
COVID-19 just a virus in today’s world has exposed the world’s vulnerability rather a question mark on
Human existence but if the nature outbreaks do we have the chance?
Our progress cannot be at the cost of nature. We need fresh thinking.
