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World War C

This current conundrum that is the COVID-19 knocks at our doorsteps and tests our resolve as a race.  It sows fear and panic similar to that famous horror/thriller/sci-fi movie many of us know, World War Z.

It is okay to be afraid.  Fear is what has helped humanity survive the various extinction events it faced throughout the centuries.  However, it is also important to realize that excessive fear is not helpful.  It either drives us to panic, which can potentially lead to anarchy, or cause us to freeze and just ultimately drive us all to inaction.  Lack of fear on the other hand is just, well, silly and somewhat irresponsible.

The COVID-19 caused by the SARS-COV-2 strain of the coronavirus has taken us all by surprise.  It has spread across the globe faster than we could have all imagined, either through our ignorance or perhaps, even arrogance.  Whatever the case maybe, the reality is that it is here and it is wreaking havoc.  We have underestimated the virus early on because we have judged it on its ability to kill or spread when compared to the common flu or other well-known diseases that take far more lives per year.  I believe we are way past that.  The world should already stop judging this virus based on its ability to spread or kill, but rather on its ability to disrupt life as we know it.

There are numerous independent analyses of the numbers with corresponding predictions and what-not that you will see published all over the cyber space.  I too am guilty of looking at numbers and stuff and making bold predictions and all, albeit I kept them mostly to myself.  Mathematical or statistical modeling is good to enable us to predict things.  But we are now at a point where taking actions today, no matter how small, far outweighs the benefits of modelling and predicting tomorrow. Predictions always tend to look at the worst case scenario and such things help more in spreading panic.  That is just how it works -- we predict doomsday, never hope.  It is important at this point to never be eagerly optimistic nor be overly pessimistic.  I remember a passage I have read as a kid that I feel is very relevant now -- “In the eye of the storm, the pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails.”

I am very thankful that I am here in the UAE when this whole thing broke out. The leadership here is exceptional.  While the rest of the world either dismisses the issue believing it will resolve by itself or blames another country or people for the outbreak, the leaders of the UAE relentlessly monitors the outbreaks, constantly assesses its risks and continuously adjusts the sails.  Since the beginning of the outbreak, the UAE is one of the very first countries to send medical supplies to China.  Since then, and especially in the past couple of weeks, the UAE have continuously implemented various other actions to protect the UAE, its citizens and residents, and its businesses.  The declaration of early school break and the implementation of e-learning platforms to protect the young generation are some of these measures. The UAE have also issued a clarification early on that all cases of COVID-19 inside the UAE will be treated free of cost – regardless of whether the patients have insurance or not.  This kind of assurance from the government comes a long way in the midst of uncertainties.  Not all countries, even to this day (even some of the most “advanced” and “developed” ones), have done this. Then there is the phased control of borders that started with aggressive screening and detection at ports of entry up to the stoppage of new visa issuance once the pandemic broke out.  And last, but not the least, the injection of fiscal stimulus, which is amongst the largest in the world specifically allocated to combating the economic effects of COVID-19.  All these were done whilst the rest of the world bickers on who is to blame for the outbreak and while they just take to their congresses or parliaments to begin the discussions, only now, on what to do about the virus.  Let me also point out that while all these happen, the UAE still continues to fulfill its humanitarian commitments to the rest of the world as a responsible member-nation of this planet.  Never have I seen such political resolve exhibited by any country coupled with an unwavering compassion for its brothers and sisters outside its borders.

This is a shout-out to the entire UAE leadership. May you continue to be the role model on how a truly responsible government should be – a real servant of its people, unfaltering in its commitment to protect its nation’s and peoples’ interests, devoid of the paralyzing self-serving partisan politics, and a true global leader – one that is neither an optimist nor a pessimist, but a vigilant realist, fueled by hope, who never loses sight of its aspirations both for its nation and its people.

While this government does its part, we too, the citizens and residents of this nation should do our part. The government is already giving us all the information and the necessary tools to weather this storm.  Let us begin by heeding their advice and refraining from sharing unverified information.  There are sufficient information channels made available to us to make informed decisions in relation to our daily movements.  There is also an aggressive information campaign on what the government does to assure us that they are on top of the situation and that they continue to react to it in a calm and structured manner.  Let us take it and build from it so that we can help in spreading sparks of hope.

The key here for us as individuals is to find the balance between eager optimism and excessive pessimism.  The government has taken the lead in showing us how to find this balance and continually provides the necessary guidance to us all on an ongoing basis.  Let us be vigilant but live life normally, with the appropriate caution as dictated by the situation.  Living our life is what we are the experts of.  Leave all other things related to the virus to the experts in their fields -- the predictive modelling to the epidemiologists, the understanding of the behavior of virus to the virologists, the finding of the cure to the pharmacologists.  In living our own life carefully and responsibly, we will contribute to overcoming this challenge in our midst.

One may think that one person is far too small to make a difference, but situations like these remind us of the power of one.  All that is needed is just one person – “Patient Zero” moving about unchecked and you have a pandemic.  Each of us should approach this situation as that one person who believes he/she has an impact.  Every little thing we do, collectively, will make a difference.  Every single responsible isolation removes one more body out of the equation in the virus transmission formula.  Every dirham we spend to support local businesses add up to their coffers, which in turn help a lot of people keep their jobs.  Every single message of hope we share contributes to the overall well-being of every single one of us.  I know some may say that hope does virtually nothing, but hope is a placebo, and placebo is a mind-blowingly potent cure.  Maybe a little bit of hope is all we need.

What we have right here right now is a case of another World War – and I call it “World War C”.  C stands for the test on our “compliance” to government-issued guidelines and controls. C for “care” in making sure we exercise caution in our movements as well as in sharing our thoughts. C for “charity” and “compassion” for our fellow human beings, especially those who will or may struggle to make ends meet because of this. That extra dirham you give your delivery guy or your restaurant server, that “hazard pay” to thank them for continually serving us goes a long way in this trying times.  C for “common sense” because sometimes, it is just not so common anymore. And last but not the least, C for “comedy” because right now, it is really difficult to be happy about how things are around the world.  A little bit of comedy, that bit of smile on someone’s face can make a lot of difference.  Studies show that our brains are “idiotic” enough to pump out endorphins just from merely sensing our facial muscles making that “banana-like” shape with our mouths.  Endorphins boost the immune system.  A strong immune system is exactly what we need to fight this off, or any other bug (at least most of them) for that matter.

Only time will tell if the old adage, “laughter is the best medicine” is true.  But this I know is a fact, “if you laugh for no reason, you need medicine.”  Still, a little bit of laughter wouldn’t hurt anyone.

In the meantime, let us keep monitoring, let us stay vigilant, and let us all live life as normally as we possibly can.

Stay safe everyone!

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