- Dr. Javid Ahmad Mallah
It cannot be denied that the post-modern humans are living today in an unsatisfactory human condition after the horror of the novel COVID-19. This critical situation reminds me, Karl Jaspers’s idea of the “boundary situation”. The boundary situation is generally different from other situations. In the sense, it undermines humans’ sense of security and threatens its entire being. One can imagine of boundary situation when one’s life is shattered by extreme circumstances that seem difficult to overcome. A situation becomes a boundary situation ‘when it succeeds in awakening the individual self to its existential content. As we observe today the atmosphere of anxiety and dread of death spreading throughout the world. The phenomenon of fear prominently the nosophobia and hypochondria not only generates psychological instability and existential anxiety in the people but also sharpens individuals’ consciousness of the final call (death) that is not less threatening. The idea of boundary situations is structurally associated with an individual’s acute existential awareness and its manifold sufferings. The term ‘boundary situation’ is used as a metaphor that signifies a critical threshold, not as a barrier to individual achievement. Thus, it is important to see whether the general features of the boundary situation apply to the horror of COVID-19? Since each situation is unique so it cannot be applied to all cases universally but any situation that affects deeply the very structure of the individual being is a boundary situation. In this connection COVID-19 is relevant in the sense; it sharply recalls mankind its true ontological picture i-e “individual finitude”. More importantly, it highlights the significance of individual attitude towards boundary situations in life. Hence, how to deal with the horror of COVID-19 becomes an important question?
Since there are pre-given options available to the general public such as quarantine, social distancing, even nine minutes lightning added in the list. No matter what you believe but it is necessary to keep oneself as well others safe by acting rationally and responsibly. Moreover, I think a positive attitude and mindset is equally required to face the horror of the COVID-19. Taking the sufferings of this pandemic positively and assigning meaning to it would be a profoundly significant task that can help people to confront it in a meaningful way with courage and dignity. There are both positive and negative ways of assigning meaning to this life-threatening pandemic. But one must adopt a positive attitude; a negative attitude means resigning oneself to it. Broadly speaking the whole world as of now is facing this traumatic wave that has brought extreme suffering to the entire humanity. A positive attitude gives us hope and makes us feel at ease.
There is no permanent state of human life. An Individual’s life is constantly moving into different spheres of pain and pleasure. No matter if pain overweighs pleasure life, however, should be accepted with all sufferings and hardships. The hard realities of life should be admitted with the hope that it is not going to stay forever. As stated in the Quran “surely with every hardship there is ease”. This approach neither changes the nature of the suffering nor demystifies it rather it prepares the human person to accept it and confront it with courage.
No doubt present situations are critical in terms of human suffering. But humanity’s suffering is not new rather it is as old as humanity. One can recall historical events like world wars, natural disorders, diseases that have caused huge damage and destruction to human life. We know that humans experienced misery and suffering since the first man Adam came to the world and human suffering will exist as long as humans exist. Thus human existence and suffering are ontologically linked together. In this connection, one should take the adversities, difficulties, and strivings as a lot of human life. But at the same time, it is equally important to know that humans alone have the propensity to deliver its suffering and making sense of it. Therefore, we must see the present situation as a new phase of human suffering. In this situation also life cannot be lived without struggle and suffering. Thus, it shows that suffering, struggle, and death are inevitable human conditions and the best way of dealing with it is admitting it and confronting it instead of evading it.
Though COVID-19 is an inherently negative experience, we cannot change its nature but we can change our approach to it and make sense of it. There are many ways to find or assign meaning to our present circumstances. Each human person can see this pandemic from a diverse point of view. Some take it as a response from nature/ planet earth to which we rational beings seem more damaging than any disease or virus. As it’s observed that human’s unethical and irresponsible approach to nature has brought the whole world to the greater threat of global warming. An American philosopher Noam Chomsky also reveals in his recent interview that the two great threats are approaching the world, ‘global warming’ and ‘nuclear war’. As of now, the whole world is overwhelmed by the horror of Coronavirus. I came across one of the speakers saying nature too experiments and “what if this Coronavirus is nature’s way of eliminating the human virus”. It sounds high and reminds rational species (humans) to correct themselves and act responsibly for the benefit of the whole. Otherwise, nature may discard human species too as it discarded other species like dinosaurs, ramapithecus and so on. Finding any meaning with a positive attitude can make the present suffering easy to face and probably inculcates a sense that stops us from being cruel, selfish and irresponsible to nature.
Any meaning that can be assigned to our present human condition depends on what perspective we behold. I think any attempt to examine the offshoot of individual actions is the beginning of the change. The present circumstances seem to offer the opportunity to each individual to revisit his/her stock of merit and demerit (karmas) and try to rectify them. Human actions from a moral and religious point of view are supposed to minimize pain, maximize general happiness, promote well-being and justice in all spheres of life but on the contrary, the condition of humans in the world today is seriously different. The beliefs of capitalism and fascism have changed human’s moral and social order. Do we ever bother to examine our endeavors and stand accountable?
Have we ever thought that the wrong use of power has certainly enhanced human agony and suffering? Humanity throughout the world experiences lockdown and restrictions. Maybe this experience will remind them of life in Kashmir, Syria, and Palestine. Maybe they will rethink the extreme sufferings, exploitation, and killings of innocent people. How can we forget a Syrian, bleeding kid saying “I swear to God we do not have anything to eat and drink” because they have been bobbed, killed and their houses destroyed in the Syrian crisis. I watched him narrating his malice and atrocities. He seems expecting nothing from the world but his statement “I am going to tell Allah everything” sounded very high. How can we avoid such striking experiences? The story is not confined to one child there is much more to the story of human suffering. Doesn’t it open new avenues of thought? Maybe the idea of hereafter where justice in terms of reward and punishment is promised. Doesn’t it create a sense that God has to respond because justice could not prevail in the human kingdom? And what if the present situation is just the beginning of the wrath of God?
Today’s condition of the world is getting worst day by day. We observe sudden imprisonment, world-wide lock-down; cessation of all human activity. In this time disintegration and separation have become prevention, romance, hugs, and kisses become weapons. The fear of death has forgotten the fashion of atheism. Dread, forlornness, and chaos make people feel that no human power is that valuable or wealth that powerful to release mankind the clutches of agony and suffering. Thus, in the present boundary situation, people seem not craving for material things not desiring for worldly pursuits. At the moment, people sincerely approaching God for their ontological exigency except for those whose eyes, ears and hearts are sealed. In a pragmatic sense, this belief is true because it has utility and it affects people at the larger level, changing their attitudes, releasing their fears, gives them hope and healing in their difficult situations. Thus approaching the present situation from the religious standpoint also makes it easy and tolerable.
The interesting aspect of the present boundary situation is its awakening call that reminds the human person its “existential finite” and brought major human activity on the moral paradigm. One can find a tremendous change in human behavior in real-life situations. Thus, the pandemic despite being panic brought an apparent change in the people. The sudden move from ordinary lifestyle to moral and religious spheres shows a major fall in immoral practices and wrongdoings of people excluding practices of the priests of hatred and violence. This expected change may liberate the world from overloaded impurity, hatred, violence and so on and bring peace, love, goodness, and justice into the world. At least one must assume that the present situation wants us to correct ourselves, correct our roles as rational and moral beings, and correct our relationship with nature, with fellow beings, and with God. The present circumstances are hard but it gives ample opportunity to add a deeper meaning to one’s lives.
In the end, no matter what the situation is each individual being have the potential to confront and strive against the difficulties of life. At this time an individual should rationalize his/her present condition in the world its sufferings. Some people in the present situation are scared some are terrifying and anxious. Some are thinking about the horrifying end of life. Some say lives are being lost and livelihood ravaged. Nonetheless, the present situation made human life uncomfortable in the presence of widespread disease. The anxiety of self-annihilation is necessary to overcome. All these are real feelings of being-in-the-world. But we know that we are mortal. We must accept our finitude as an inescapable fact and welcome it when we find it knocking; our dignity consists in this thought. Our death will open the gates of the new world and take us to the realm where justice, eternal happiness, and beauty are promised.
- Author
- Dr. Javid Ahmad Mallah
- Teaching Philosophy at GDC Kulgam
