We have often talked about the world as a global community, And we
cite the internet as a working force behind this. So everything is
virtual from commerce to conferences and even chats. We wave to each
other through virtual mechanisms. What we forget is that we are slowly
losing the human touch, why even love and marriages are made through the
virtual world. The virtual world and the real overlap in a way, that
one cannot distinguish one from the other. Information is garnered from
the virtual world. This is the world of information explosion. We have
virtual classrooms and online learning. True the internet has
revolutionised our lives, radicalised our social, political and
educational moorings. But we soon realised its ambivalence in the form
of fake news and hate talk in social networking sites. So the global
community soon had fissures within it. Technology was both boon and
bane, but optimists continued to have faith in its virtues although
terrorists continued to use it exponentially. It was a complexity that
only human beings in a state of reflection could comprehend. The choice
was simple: use it positively or for subversive things. Love co existed
with hate.
Then came the corona virus
afflicting the whole world and rumours and false news also spread
through the internet. But the virus brought together the whole world and
our country in a common fight against the sickness. And the clarion
call was to battle it out to safeguard your health. This was a real
scare where every individual thought that he or she might be a victim.
The world was one and so our country. Soon teaching became purely online
as students were at home, outside the four walls of the classroom.
Social interaction continued through social networking sites, but
ironically enough we were pleading for a social distancing, considering
the virulence and contagious nature of the disease. We mingled
superstition too, trying to shoo away the virus by beating drums and
sounding gongs.The fear was ubiquitous, crossing boundaries of
countries. And the world ironically became one and borderless. It was
not technology which brought the world together but a deadly virus and
of course technology which lay firmly saddled of being both an agent
provocateur and a virtue continued to play its double edged role.
Rumours and wrong advisories were rampant.New terminologies such as
social distancing, which actually meant physical distancing entered our
vocabulary. This became truly an existential predicament. No ontology or
philosophy here but a crass reality and an engulfing fear throughout
the country and the world. And we will have to live with it for days to
come. How will technology help us here unless we have a vaccine to
combat this dreaded disease? When will it come? WHO says twelve to
eighteen months, that is a pretty long time, and the virus scientists
say will be around. People have likened this to a war, the Third World
War. And what was the only way of fighting it: physical distancing, we
of course use the misnomer ‘ social distancing’ but as long as the
virulence continues there may be actual social distancing. We will be
fearful and apprehensive of meeting each other and talking to each
other, and have no option but to fall back upon the World Wide Web to
fulfil our gregarious ends.
In between we saw
reverse migration in India where there were tragic deaths. The innate
human goodness came to the fore as good samaritans started garnering
food, shelter and clothes for the poor and daily wage workers. We
realised that technology which is a means not an end, could not be an
antidote. It is only the human touch, the human transcendental love for
human beings. Here in Shillong many individual and social and religious
groups are rendering yeoman service to the poor and homeless. This shows
that human beings can rise over technology and rise in oneness for the
poor, irrespective of circumstances irrespective of caste, community and
creed.
Let us be clear of one thing.
Technology can only be the means to serve an end. The end is human good
or benignity. The end is man serving man, the end is love and a common
good. For too long have we thought that materialistic benefits are for
the common good. Yes it is if it is equalitarianism. But this is not so
in India and the world. Could technology fight this disruption that was
caused world over? No we depended on human restrictions to curb, mind
you not cure the menace.
The good life Bertrand
Russell once said in his essay ‘ What I Believe” is one which is
inspired by love and guided by knowledge. We have made a beginning, let
love and rationality be the twin concomitants to build and strengthen
the edifice of humanity.
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