Coronavirus and That End-of-the-world "Fuck It" Feeling
In the past few days, international media have been lamenting the emergence of individuals who openly flaunt the increasing levels of lockdowns and quarantines levied against them by authorities around the world to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. Stories abound of people sneaking out to dinners, jogs, meetings, concerts, and spring break parties. The general public, understandably, has jumped to criticize these individuals for being irresponsible and putting everyone around them in danger of catching and then dying from the COVID-19.
The general public's criticism comes from familiar territory. People, consistent with the dominant narrative of politicians, scientists, and media coverage, have characterized the ongoing epidemic as a temporary phenomenon that is bound to go away as soon as the right vaccines can be developed and administered while those who unfortunately contracted the sickness can lock them in, allowing the disease to burn itself out as the virus' carriers either recover or pass away. To the general public, those who flaunt the lockdowns and quarantines, then, are unnecessarily lengthening what ought to be very short-term suffering of humanity.
But looking at the COVID-19 from the perspective of those who tested positive for the virus or even just sick and tired of being forced to stay at home for weeks at a time, and a completely different perspective emerges. For them, the greatest cost from the ongoing epidemic is not catching the disease (for those who tested positive, it is too late anyway), but the fact that their daily lives and routines have been so disrupted, as a sacrifice without thanks for a general public that is inconsiderate of their personal needs.
Particularly among the people who already carry the coronavirus, there may emerge a feeling that they, as people who are looking at potentially dying from illness without a cure, continuing to make sacrifices for the greater good simply to save lives of people that they do not know is simply pointless. That feeling that continuing to make personal sacrifices while sick is without purpose is what prompts people to say "fuck it," go out and enjoy themselves as much as they can before succumbing to an untimely death.
The fact that the virus-carriers choose to enjoy themselves in the accompaniment of many other people may be deliberate or not so much. For many, enjoying themselves is synonymous with getting together with others, over good food, alcohol, and music, in social gatherings where any individual merriment can be amplified. For others, walking into groups of unsuspecting individuals is their way of taking revenge on society, for failing to prevent them from getting infected and then presenting them with effective ways to get treated. For the nefarious, the fact that society simply told them to lock themselves in and tough it out as they suffered from the sickness is inexcusable.
For authorities to halt the spread of further outbreaks caused by people who decide to slip through lockdowns and quarantines, there need to be efforts to understand, and not simply vilify or reprimand them for their behavior. No state has enough resources to monitor every single individual to check their whereabouts and ensure they remain where they are supposed to be. Ensuring that lockdowns and quarantines are effective and watertight, then, would require people who are subject to them to comply with them willingly at all times. Criticizing people for sneaking out, without understanding the underlying motivations, will not increase willing compliance in any way.
As such, it is high time that the authorities devote some of the resources available to fight the coronavirus to understand the mental issues surrounding the epidemic. Social fabrics will continue to fray if more virus carriers emerge who simply say "fuck it" and go around and spread the disease to others. The risk of willing disseminators of the virus may become even bigger of an issue to the final containment of the epidemic as some countries approach a stage where quarantines, taken at massive economic costs, are dramatically slowing the number of people-to-people transmissions within communities.
The goal of the state should be to ensure that carriers of the disease do not simply equate their sad position with the personal "end of the world." Phone hotlines should be put in place to make sure carriers of the virus has someone to talk to about their concerns, just as many countries have done well with phone numbers for people with suicidal thoughts. In these times when people are encouraged to distance themselves physically from others, any reminder that other people are with them and are there for them even as they suffer from the feared virus will help prevent more people from just saying "fuck it."
The general public's criticism comes from familiar territory. People, consistent with the dominant narrative of politicians, scientists, and media coverage, have characterized the ongoing epidemic as a temporary phenomenon that is bound to go away as soon as the right vaccines can be developed and administered while those who unfortunately contracted the sickness can lock them in, allowing the disease to burn itself out as the virus' carriers either recover or pass away. To the general public, those who flaunt the lockdowns and quarantines, then, are unnecessarily lengthening what ought to be very short-term suffering of humanity.
But looking at the COVID-19 from the perspective of those who tested positive for the virus or even just sick and tired of being forced to stay at home for weeks at a time, and a completely different perspective emerges. For them, the greatest cost from the ongoing epidemic is not catching the disease (for those who tested positive, it is too late anyway), but the fact that their daily lives and routines have been so disrupted, as a sacrifice without thanks for a general public that is inconsiderate of their personal needs.
Particularly among the people who already carry the coronavirus, there may emerge a feeling that they, as people who are looking at potentially dying from illness without a cure, continuing to make sacrifices for the greater good simply to save lives of people that they do not know is simply pointless. That feeling that continuing to make personal sacrifices while sick is without purpose is what prompts people to say "fuck it," go out and enjoy themselves as much as they can before succumbing to an untimely death.
The fact that the virus-carriers choose to enjoy themselves in the accompaniment of many other people may be deliberate or not so much. For many, enjoying themselves is synonymous with getting together with others, over good food, alcohol, and music, in social gatherings where any individual merriment can be amplified. For others, walking into groups of unsuspecting individuals is their way of taking revenge on society, for failing to prevent them from getting infected and then presenting them with effective ways to get treated. For the nefarious, the fact that society simply told them to lock themselves in and tough it out as they suffered from the sickness is inexcusable.
For authorities to halt the spread of further outbreaks caused by people who decide to slip through lockdowns and quarantines, there need to be efforts to understand, and not simply vilify or reprimand them for their behavior. No state has enough resources to monitor every single individual to check their whereabouts and ensure they remain where they are supposed to be. Ensuring that lockdowns and quarantines are effective and watertight, then, would require people who are subject to them to comply with them willingly at all times. Criticizing people for sneaking out, without understanding the underlying motivations, will not increase willing compliance in any way.
As such, it is high time that the authorities devote some of the resources available to fight the coronavirus to understand the mental issues surrounding the epidemic. Social fabrics will continue to fray if more virus carriers emerge who simply say "fuck it" and go around and spread the disease to others. The risk of willing disseminators of the virus may become even bigger of an issue to the final containment of the epidemic as some countries approach a stage where quarantines, taken at massive economic costs, are dramatically slowing the number of people-to-people transmissions within communities.
The goal of the state should be to ensure that carriers of the disease do not simply equate their sad position with the personal "end of the world." Phone hotlines should be put in place to make sure carriers of the virus has someone to talk to about their concerns, just as many countries have done well with phone numbers for people with suicidal thoughts. In these times when people are encouraged to distance themselves physically from others, any reminder that other people are with them and are there for them even as they suffer from the feared virus will help prevent more people from just saying "fuck it."
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