Not since the last world war has an event so severely tested mankind’s qualities like resilience, solidarity, compassion, inventiveness and hope. But in the way individuals, communities, countries and international bodies have responded to COVID-19, humanity deserves a pass mark overall.
The pandemic, as any crisis does, has also brought out some less admirable traits, in this case denial of fact, conspiracy craziness, neglect of duty towards neighbour and lack of leadership.
But this is the eve of Christmas, a time to celebrate the birth of a man who epitomised the good in mankind; to recall His peerless character and the messages from His life and death. One of them is that even if it is periodically defeated, men and women should have faith in their goodness.
The desire to serve others has shone through, on the whole, during the pandemic. In a season that normally brings good cheer, it would be appropriate to focus, unashamedly and uncynically, on some of the admirable ways in which the world has navigated the COVID crisis so far.
First, the medical and other personnel dealing directly with coronavirus victims and their families are a shining light for the rest of humanity. Their selfless devotion is an example of going well beyond the call of duty, to the point of heroism. In many parts of the world, these frontliners are still in the throes of the battle against the virus, overworked, exhausted, broken, sometimes even paying the ultimate sacrifice, but still caring for their patients.
At the beginning of the pandemic, we stood on balconies literally singing their praises. While that sort of overt homage has faded, these warriors must not doubt our gratitude. It will surely be expressed again when we start to relax and reflect as the world gets to grips with the pandemic once and for all.
Behind the scenes on the medical front lie all those scientists, experts and other professionals who have struggled to understand the virus, who have planned the public response, who have fought hard to turn back its multiple assaults and who have striven to come up with defences against the invader.
Their treatments and vaccines are now entering the fray and it should only be a matter of time before science defeats the virus, new strains and all. When it does, we will be extremely thankful for the service that the people responsible for these medical advances have performed for humanity.
The pandemic has separated the chaff from the wheat where leadership is concerned. Fighting an unknown force on both health and economic fronts is not easy. While, in some countries, the effectiveness of the response has been mixed at best, in others the decisiveness of clear-eyed leaders who put the health of their citizens first has been exemplary.
In terms of international cooperation, lack of transparency or solidarity has characterised some nations’ responses. But after a faltering start early on, the European Union rose to the challenge and demonstrated once again how multinational cooperation can reap great benefits for citizens.
Not only has the EU helped fund accelerated development of vaccines and made sure all member states have immediate access to them but it is also an important partner in the international effort to make them available to poorer countries. Another example of the good that comes from supranational governance is the financial aid keeping the EU’s economies afloat.
The pandemic has had devastating effects on the world in terms of health and prosperity. But when we finally beat this virus we can look back on how we did it and use those successes to build a better global future.
This is the hope of Christmas 2020.