Alfred Dawes | A new hope

The world has changed. The closing of borders and streets, the shuttering of businesses, and quarantining in our homes have many fearing what the future holds. We have watched how other countries are grappling with the rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases and feel first-hand the devastating economic effects of the measures in place to curtail the spread.

The worry is that we don’t know when the worst will come, how bad it will be for us, or how long before we are back to normal. But do we really want to go back to normal? This new life has opened up our eyes to how much our world lacked, how unimportant the things we treasured are, and what really matters. So do we really go back to that existence, or do we now take this time alone to examine ourselves and emerge on the other side of COVID-19 better individuals and a better society?

There is a certain amount of scorn associated with failure. We gloss over how many times the greats failed before achieving success. And we make success the ultimate goal in life. We slave away and defer gratification in order to achieve society’s definition of success – fame and fortune – to be somebody recognised by those who are recognised.

It feels good to succeed. Which is why those who are succeeding at whatever they do fear losing it all. It moves from the stress of trying to attain success to the fear of losing it all and the desperate attempts to hold on to it when threatened. The status quo can paralyse one from doing so much more that is fulfilling to one’s life. With a life revolving around success, what or who are we sacrificing? And now that we are all a bit poorer and the titles and positions less relevant in the confines of our homes, is it worth giving up so much for things that can be stripped away so easily?

When we are reminiscing on life before the lockdown, do we remember the moments scrolling through social media or the times spent with friends and family? With no parties to go to, were they that important in retrospect? Do you miss the day to day at your job? If you don’t, could it be that your job was not fulfilling, but you were afraid of leaving and venturing out of your comfort zone to find one that will make you happy? Is the success of your job preventing you from finding true success?

Focus on Important Things

While on lockdown, these are the questions that should be asked of ourselves. We should all search for what is currently the centre in our lives and examine whether its position is justified. Be it success in careers or the pursuit thereof, we should look at what we are giving up in exchange for the trappings or dream of success. The answers may change your outlook on life.

Outside of our individual introspections, our society needs to look at how it functions and how we treat each other. With an anxious population subjected to lockdowns and increased restrictions of our freedoms by the state, there is bound to be some resentment of the authorities by those who feel that they are treated as lesser humans because they lack connections and money.

That sentiment is justified as we know quite well about the two Jamaicas, where the laws are not equally applied, depending on your status in society. It is as if the stage has been set by years of corruption and human rights abuses. All it takes now for the house of cards to fall is one mistake by the security forces. Just one episode of the abuse of power by the state. As we tread lightly, hoping to avoid civil unrest, we must remember to hold the political establishment accountable for everything they have done or allowed to happen to take us to this point.

Unity the Goal

Jamaica must emerge from COVID-19 more united than ever before. Suddenly the lines between Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and People’s National Party (PNP) do not matter as much. We all want the JLP Government to succeed because it will mean that it is the success of all of us beating this virus. We all want the PNP to forget about being Her Majesty’s loyal Opposition and use its legendary mobilisation capacity to bring Jamaicans together as one people, united behind the cause of defeating this virus.

We suddenly realised that it doesn’t matter which party forms the Government as long as its primary objective is to improve the lives of Jamaicans from all walks of life. When the crisis is over, we must not restore the status quo. The Governments of Jamaica must never again be only for the votes they need to gain power. They must never again facilitate the enrichment of their financial backers at the expense of value for money for the taxpayers. This, where the Government is solely focused on the good of the people, must be the new status quo. We now know it is possible, and we must demand that it continue.

COVID-19 has showed us a lot more that is possible. It has shown us that we don’t need fast food as much. That our cravings are manageable, and our foods do not have to be gourmet all the time. With less pleasure derived from food, we should be able to consume fewer calories and tackle the obesity crisis.

We know that money can be found to spend on tangible projects and not just for just electioneering. We have seen where it is possible for so-called undisciplined Jamaicans to obey the law when required. We now know that it was possible all along to have an orderly society. What we choose to do with this new knowledge will be the subject of history books in years to come. Will we be the generation to transform ourselves and our society, or will we waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

We are now seeing what life is like outside of our comfort zones. We are seeing our fears take form every day we wake up. But with this comes a new hope. A hope that on the other side of discomfort and fear lies a better you, a better me, and a brighter future for our country. In our time of darkness and despair, let us cling to this hope. And as the light defeats the darkness, as it always does, let us all unite as we have never before, to make these dreams a reality.

- Dr Alfred Dawes MBBS, FACS is medical director of Windsor Wellness Centre & Carivia Medical Ltd. @dr_aldawes. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and adawes@ilapmedical.com.