LETTER | Covid-19 dictates a new standard for humanity

LETTER | The world is reeling under the unstoppable ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our staple of daily news updates brings much fear, pain and sadness.

While hope is being kept afloat, the fear of economic collapse grips humans all across planet earth.

Social wellbeing has been reduced to its lowest hierarchy.

And as we start figuring out more about social distancing, the movement control orders and lockdowns the world over are already inflicting unprecedented experiences for humanity.

The highest price we are paying in the face of this virus attack is the snatching away of the freedom known to mankind throughout civilisation - our gregarious nature as ordained by creation.

For the first time in human history our gregarious disposition - that which is uniquely characteristic of homo sapiens, is affronted.

How are we going to practice social distancing for protracted periods of time? What would humanity's cultural, traditional, religious and the spectrum of social interactions shape out to be?

How will the imperative to lead our daily lives within the paradigms of economic and political conduct on a remote basis via the railroad of online means affect our civilisation?

Indeed, what we took for granted, our human freedom and beingness, is under attack.

The freedom to go anywhere, anytime and do the many things that were consistent with the human beings' ingrained, gregarious nature has been undermined.

Today, as one-third of the world's human population remain denied this freedom that sets us apart from all of creation, we need to think.

Is the journey of humanity turning over onto a totally new chapter that is alien to the thousands of years of our known and cherished beingness on earth?

Only time will tell.

In the meantime, governments will face this daunting task of migrating their citizens on to this new wagon of social distancing and online remote interactions.

God willing, science will give humanity that key to unlock this chain that has robbed human freedom and enable us to return to our original, gregarious beingness.

In the meantime, we can now appreciate this freedom that perhaps many leaders took for granted in the name of economic and political supremacy.

Likewise all of us earthlings will now know what it means to be unable to hold hands, give a hug, participate in celebrations, be anywhere we please and do the countless things out in the open because of this gift called "freedom to exist".

This loss is by far the most painful in comparison to the trumpeted economic and political setbacks brought upon humans by Covid-19.

What the future holds out for human existence has suddenly become the greatest mystery and threat.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

Keep up with the latest information on the outbreak in the country with Malaysiakini's free Covid-19 tracker.

Malaysiakini is providing free access to the most important updates on the coronavirus pandemic. You can find them here.

Help keep independent media alive - subscribe to Malaysiakini.