Coronavirus, the humbling of man by Nature

Ashwani Kumar

Former Union Minister for Law & Justice

As I settle to pen these thoughts on the lessons of this calamitous moment upon us, my first thought is about the humbling of man by Nature.

Just when mankind had virtually proclaimed for itself mastery of the planet, Nature has intervened to show us our place. The extent of our collective helplessness against the virus questions our boastful assumption about the infinity of human capacity.

The foremost lesson of the coronavirus pandemic is about human vulnerability to Nature and divine interventions — a lesson in humility for all mankind.

Unpredictability of the future and uncertainty of a stable society as a necessary condition of security and progress is another profoundly unsettling lesson of Covid-19. Global disruption caused by the pandemic at a speed and scale as vast as this interrogates the foundational premise of the global order, just as we are shaken into remembering the non-negotiable imperative of environmental balance in Nature’s scheme.

The virus reminds us that human suffering is indivisible and spreads to consume all; that we are not diminished alone, that poverty and dignity cannot stand together, that justice and empathy define the quality of society. We have relearnt that camaraderie, human warmth and friendship are alive and that the bonds of humanity are strengthened in crisis.

More importantly, the gravest threat to humanity reinforces our faith in prayer, and belief in togetherness, for none can stand apart against a threat that recognises no distinctions. Clearly, there can be no bystanders in the war against disease if humanity is to prevail.

The tragedy compels us to ask ourselves whether we can continue to obsess with the GDP numbers and not pursue gross national happiness instead. Undoubtedly, economic growth and material prosperity have a share in promoting happiness, but must these be the principal barometer for assessing human well-being?

The largest material advancement in recorded human history and transformative changes in technology at a pace never achieved before are of no avail to us at this watershed moment.

This must persuade us to redraw the path of our common future, including the logic of globalisation as a panacea for global challenges. States, unequal in economic, political and technological power, cannot effectively direct the course of multilateral initiatives towards establishing a just international order.

We must also accept that the fate of globalisation will be determined by what it achieves for the marginalised of the world.

Even so, should a legitimate interrogation of globalisation signal an endorsement of the Leviathan State, unrestrained by moral constraints in the exercise of State power, is the question.

Whether this would result in the hollowing out of our constitutional institutions, established and nurtured over the years, to secure the foundations of a liberal, democratic State, remains a troubling subject for debate.

The tragedy we face is a grim reminder of the limits of human imagination and negates the hope that life can be worked out as we plan.

In these times of despair and doubt, the Prime Minister, as the leader of the nation, is expected to ‘summon the national mood’, push it in the right direction, persuade citizens to own up critical policy decisions and participate in their implementation.

For this to happen, it is imperative that alongside the steps taken to prevent the spread of infection, the government’s policy prescriptions are seen as credible and adequate to bring immediate succour to those stranded across the country, without wages, food and the emotional security of their homes.

It is critically important to ensure that the dignity of citizens is not compromised in the process of enforcing policy decisions. The sight of desolate, desperate and lonely people helpless against hunger and being beaten up, ridiculed and forced into demeaning acts by the armed constabulary of the State, is a wound in the nation’s soul.

Yes, a nation aspiring to freedom and dignity cannot have its citizens die a thousand deaths, remembering every day the loss of dignity in their fight for life. This is a daunting challenge that a constitutional State is obliged to address. Indeed, any act that diminishes our collective dignity condemns the nation as a whole and robs it of its spiritual heritage.

This is a time for a leadership anchored in moral courage and pursuit of human dignity. The Prime Minister is tasked to harness the full resources of the Indian state

to secure lives with dignity for his countrymen and to validate the underlying rationale of our social compact: that the State exists for its citizens and not vice versa. In this task and at this moment, the nation stands by him.

Clearly, a transformative politics will be a befitting national response to this defining moment. We know that no theory of history has sufficed to interpret the past, address the present or predict the future.

But we can hope that Covid-19 will alter the world for the better, hopefully heralding a more humane international order in which peaceful and happy co-existence of humanity will be more than a utopian dream.

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