Almost all countries established confinement for more than three months, seriously affecting the economy and the psychological health of the world population. After the most intensive phases of the epidemics in each country, with caution, the economic sectors with the highest priority were reopened, amid enormous unemployment figures and economic difficulties that were combined with health problems and the psychological alterations derived from all this. About 80% of confirmed cases have only had mild or moderate illnesses that spent around 14 days isolated at home so as not to infect others, but little more than 20% required hospitalization; a proportion of these required intensive therapy and about 6% died.
The prolonged confinement of the population brought with it a great psychological impact and a great economic impact that also damaged the individual and collective psychological situation of children, adolescents, youth, mature adults, older adults, families, schools, work centers, communities, peoples, nations and humanity as a whole. It is possible that psychological and economic damage is the cause of higher morbidity and mortality data than those directly attributed to the coronavirus.
We strive to pay attention to the past, present and future consequences of Covid-19. The calculated mortal casualties must deduce the many others affected by a different nature. We are concerned about the economic and labor impact of the pandemic. But there are other guaranteed effects that promise to last and could also mark our destiny in the medium term.
Approaching the theme from a philosophical perspective, given the exhaustion of a long period of stress, it is necessary to reconcile a third of Kant’s famous question: What is one allowed to expect?
Some of the psychological consequences of Covid-19 are evident. A family member who could never shoot, suicided, triggered by extraordinary situations.
The consequences of general reactive stress
However, perhaps we have not studied enough attention to the consequences of the general reactive stress that is felt in all of us with different intensities to cope with our circumstances. These incidents are subtle because they are buried and dangerous, but their effects can last a long time and if there is a point of historical change affecting several generations it may be difficult to happen.
In modern times, after the First World War, the neurosis of war is over. There are soldiers who, although not mutilated, have never suffered from serious physical illnesses, exhibiting crippling nervous imbalances.
Between the two world wars, a spirit of existentialism spread in France, giving way to charismatic thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoire. The pacifist and libertarian movements also proliferated after the Vietnam War. Therefore, it is necessary to ask yourself what philosophy and thoughts will arise after this pandemic ends.
There are parallels with other historical eras in which long-lived epidemics have proven useful in gaining these experiences. The Antonina pest is said to be the first global pandemic and the so-called Spanish Flu is a clear antecedent of the current process.
Learn to live with uncertainty
The difference is that we now think we are more arrogant and we don’t know how to live with this uncertainty, because we previously delegated our competence in scientific progress and we didn’t understand how to make an effective drug or vaccine available in the first place. This completeness leaves the ground for an ungodly denial capable of entangling more with crowns and disease.
Ultimately, should there be a population in general with the philosophical and moral weight that allows us to analyze this single situation in order to deal with it? We are responsible for working independently, trying to contribute to others.
As in a future without a past, it is time to return to our classical traditions to find an ethical-philosophical line that will allow us to face situations as unprecedented as those that were unexpected.
Let us for a moment imitate Rousseau or Freud and study the humans we treat in other ways, in order to make introspective work and generalize in a phylogenetic way. Consequently, we must quote the authors quoted, one in the socio-political sphere and another in a survey of the universe where the answer is low on our conscience. We might need help from other sources and thanks to the technology, we can get it online. For example Kasamba’s psychics can help us to solve life’s problems during this pandemic from a psychological and spiritual perspective.
What had happened normally resulted in failure. Nothing is like that as long as we want. At least there is fear of cooperating with planes, suffering from successive quarantines or confinement. Various social activities are logically restricted, because failing to meet these restrictions has dire consequences, but everyone leaves their position and is ready for quite severe consequences.
Manage emotional bankruptcy from psychological disaster
We really have to face financial disaster, but we shouldn’t ignore another type of bankruptcy, an emotional one. Not knowing whether children will be able to attend school regularly or how university teaching will be taught causes social distress. Will remote work be found to be regulated without compromising labor rights? Is it possible to maintain a minimum vital income for everyone who needs it? Can small business continue? Are there bad times getting old? How are we going to treat older people?
All of these questions and many more of them open the news every day. We all fear that our preparations for a hypothetical wave of mass infection will not be sufficient. We need legions of psychologists who can advise us on this predicament of unknown duration.
We must also prevent hypothetical emotional bankruptcies. Psychological imbalances are as contagious as viruses. Let’s use the most appropriate prophylaxis. The massive psychological Depression can be devastating. Possible precautions include a variety of things, such as freezing time changes in this context, to avoid the dusk hours and this negatively impacts the mood of the population according to many surveys.
What will the predicted new era look like?
At the start of the confinement, some of us had high hopes about the possibility of structural changes that would enable a more equitable and sustainable social order. It seems like the right time to draw positive lessons from a crisis that has emphasized our vulnerability and dependability. However, institutional inertia seems to prevail again, except for a few qualifying exceptions. It is our reach to change our habits to avoid the emotional collapse that leads to psychological bankruptcy. You have to take care of your soul as well as your body, according to a famous Latin proverb.
Lack of physical contact and lack of caressing doesn’t help to keep your spirits high. We are in danger of becoming more robotic and destroying our damaged empathy. We need new sentimental education to deal with the decisive post-pandemic 2020 period.
It seems that we are facing the dawn of a new era whose signs will depend on us. Let’s find out how to best match up the evil puzzle pieces so that everything runs smoothly. Because, despite everything, the real scriptwriter of our community’s destiny is ourselves. Hopefully this article can inspire you to get through this pandemic safely. Thanks for reading!
