On disease and epidemics

These past few days have swamped us with news on the novel coronavirus that has impacted the whole world. As we follow update upon update on the virus, there is one factor that seems to be left on the sidelines as fear and anxiety consume our thoughts,  which goes without saying.

But setting aside the flight and fight reactions, I am however on the other hand, taking the time to direct our responses on the importance of empathy, hard as this may be. Yes, I’ll admit, it can be hard ... especially when our fears get the better of us yet, it is absolutely necessary that we cultivate within ourselves the ability to understand and share in the feelings and experiences of others.

The hit movie Titanic constantly reminds me of this virtue as empathy enables us to put ourselves in another living person’s shoes. My favorite scene in this movie was the role of the orchestra that played to their death in the hopes of alleviating emotions in that frightful evening. Imagine doing exactly that – it is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the hardest things to do in the moment of death.

But this is what empathy is all about, and rising above our own feelings for the sake of others is what makes it a virtue. A photo from China Xinhua News of a man and a woman holding each other in tears really caught my attention the other day with regard to this devastating outbreak and the words “this is not a you vs us thing but a WE thing” really got me thinking.

It is true  and I fully agree – this is a concern that affects us all and our actions can either change us or break us. We always talk about wanting to change the world. We hear it all the time – world peace as they say so often in pageants and the like. But in as much as we hear this over and over, it is very clear that world peace is the deepest yearning of the heart in every human being.

In a world full of unrest, times like these are a clear call to action especially on our human response as we break the barriers on prejudice and truly open our hearts to humanity. Empathy is the capacity we have within ourselves to become humane and while diseases and epidemics have no territorial boundaries, empathy empowers us to cross borders and that makes all the difference.