Morals, virtues, dignity, righteousness all these have been very confusing words to me for a very long time now. I have always asked these questions; who gets to decide what is right and what is wrong? Who differentiates between virtue and sin? What is prestige and what is not? Who gets to judge what is truth and what is not? Who rules the world? Who dictates the law? If it is the community that guides the world, why don’t we have peace in the society? Why have we had constant conflicts throughout the history of the human race? What is moral for one person may not be moral for others. Something may be morally justified but not legally and something may be illegal, but some morals might argue against. The world so far seems to be following a certain defined set of rules and for sure these certain sets of rules are not working as intended.
Where the recent lockdown due to Novel CORONA VIRUS has caused a temporary pause to the entire human system. It has also allowed us to reflect on how we humans operate and what morals do we follow. Where in these difficult times many have come forward to help those in need, still many are being an opportunist and trying to take advantage of the situation. Where governments and philanthropists have released funding of billions of dollars, at the same time some stakeholders are still playing politics over it. Some may argue that this CORONA pandemic is beneficial for the mother nature, some would talk about climate change and say this is the #ClimAct. Some would claim that this is the Chinese Virus and solely blame China for the problem. Some would consider this to be a conspiracy by world organizations. Some would blame 5G network connectivity. It is amusing to see how fragile human morals are. What we applauded and got benefitted from just a couple of months back now that seems to be evil. We always appreciate the efforts of climate change activists, we would use “made in China” products and be more than happy, we would appreciate NGOs and world organizations for their great efforts, we would be more than eager to get benefitted from 5G and faster networking but now all of sudden probably in less than a 100 days all this is conspired to be evil and that too caused by a tiny little microorganism (SARS-COV-2).
What we humans have justified as basic moral and human rights for 100s of years now is now forbidden and prohibited including but not limited to freedom of movement, right to health and treatment, right to privacy, right to education, and schooling. And all this is done under the simple terms of ‘lockdown’, ‘curfew’, and ‘pandemic.’ ‘Public health emergency of international concerns’. It is amazing to see a microorganism showing utter disrespect for our so-called moral values.
It is astonishing to see how humans in these desperate times of despair are trying to cope and survive. It’s fascinating to learn how human morals change as per our convenience. I do not stand here as the custodian of morals; all I seek is humanity. I am not here to judge or critique humans and their changing morals. I am just anxious to raise this question that are morals even important to humans? Or as is it just as the Heath Ledger said “Their morals, their code; it’s a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be.”
Muhammad Mohsin is a biomedical engineer by education, but his passion lies in healthcare entrepreneurship, healthcare innovation, and creative thinking. Currently working as an Innovation fellow at CCIT, Aga Khan University Karachi, Mohsin aims to play a leadership role in changing the healthcare systems and policies in Pakistan.
Covid-19: A Question to Human Morality!
Covid-19: A Question to Human Morality!
written by: Muhammad Mohsin
@MemonMohsi
Morals, virtues, dignity, righteousness all these have been very confusing words to me for a very long time now. I have always asked these questions; who gets to decide what is right and what is wrong? Who differentiates between virtue and sin? What is prestige and what is not? Who gets to judge what is truth and what is not? Who rules the world? Who dictates the law? If it is the community that guides the world, why don’t we have peace in the society? Why have we had constant conflicts throughout the history of the human race? What is moral for one person may not be moral for others. Something may be morally justified but not legally and something may be illegal, but some morals might argue against. The world so far seems to be following a certain defined set of rules and for sure these certain sets of rules are not working as intended.
Where the recent lockdown due to Novel CORONA VIRUS has caused a temporary pause to the entire human system. It has also allowed us to reflect on how we humans operate and what morals do we follow. Where in these difficult times many have come forward to help those in need, still many are being an opportunist and trying to take advantage of the situation. Where governments and philanthropists have released funding of billions of dollars, at the same time some stakeholders are still playing politics over it. Some may argue that this CORONA pandemic is beneficial for the mother nature, some would talk about climate change and say this is the #ClimAct. Some would claim that this is the Chinese Virus and solely blame China for the problem. Some would consider this to be a conspiracy by world organizations. Some would blame 5G network connectivity. It is amusing to see how fragile human morals are. What we applauded and got benefitted from just a couple of months back now that seems to be evil. We always appreciate the efforts of climate change activists, we would use “made in China” products and be more than happy, we would appreciate NGOs and world organizations for their great efforts, we would be more than eager to get benefitted from 5G and faster networking but now all of sudden probably in less than a 100 days all this is conspired to be evil and that too caused by a tiny little microorganism (SARS-COV-2).
What we humans have justified as basic moral and human rights for 100s of years now is now forbidden and prohibited including but not limited to freedom of movement, right to health and treatment, right to privacy, right to education, and schooling. And all this is done under the simple terms of ‘lockdown’, ‘curfew’, and ‘pandemic.’ ‘Public health emergency of international concerns’. It is amazing to see a microorganism showing utter disrespect for our so-called moral values.
It is astonishing to see how humans in these desperate times of despair are trying to cope and survive. It’s fascinating to learn how human morals change as per our convenience. I do not stand here as the custodian of morals; all I seek is humanity. I am not here to judge or critique humans and their changing morals. I am just anxious to raise this question that are morals even important to humans? Or as is it just as the Heath Ledger said “Their morals, their code; it’s a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be.”
Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan