Scale of Suffering

We are all in it together. This perhaps is a singular crisis that has left no nation unscathed. All are in an uncertain environment and unable to predict with any confidence how this will unfold and what is the wreckage it will leave in its wake.

The pandemic has reached almost all corners of the world and there is a chorus saying we are all in it together and for the first time it has come to all without any discrimination. On closer inspection, to me, it seems that this is not the case. The impact is not uniform. The scale of suffering varies across different geographies of the world. Intensity differs by countries and within each country it differs by the different strata of society, on factors such as economic, health, racial and community. We may all be in the same storm, but we are in different boats.

The worst-affected I would say, are the unfortunate families that have lost a dear one, made worse if he or she was the sole breadwinner. At this point it is not important to know how old or unwell they were, the loss is hard to bear and will keep haunting the family with the question — why him?

The next are the ones that are now battling for their life in the hospitals. Scores of them are in ICUs and on ventilators and worse are the ones waiting for their shot at a ventilator. Lower in the scale of suffering are the ones recently admitted and figuring out who could have infected them. They had shown no signs, and suddenly one swab of their saliva had turned them into a positive victim.

Down the scale are the ones in isolation from their family and the familiar. They are tested positive but do not require hospitalization. The uncertainty clouds their mind whether their immune system will defeat the virus or will they have to be succumb. For two weeks or more they will have to sweat it out anxiously, while the ones they came in contact wait in suspense either in self-quarantine or forced.

And a little lower are the vital sector workers going about running the world hoping that they are not infected. And each time they come home, they pray that they did not bring the enemy inside. The front-line health workers are another susceptible lot, and are a little higher in the scale, while themselves and their families in UAE or home-country praying daily for their safety.

And right at the bottom of this scale are the people in lockdown. You and I. We are sitting at home listless and worrying endlessly when we should be grateful to be at the lowest end of the scale. We should count our blessings that we are indoors and secured. Agreed that it is hard to stare at uncertainty and not worry about tomorrow, but let’s not ignore our blessings.

Then we have some businesses more adaptable to work from home and are still busy. These are business like education, information technology, telecom. Highest on the scale of suffering are businesses in retail, restaurants, entertainment, leisure, travel and sports.

Recognizing our relative position in this scale of suffering will help to rationalize our expectations and work out appropriate plans for alleviating the suffering. Not everyone can expect and get support from government, landlords, customers, suppliers, bankers, or others in your revenue and fund-flow chain. It cannot be uniform for all irrespective of their scale.

The remedies have to be prioritized at the scale of the suffering very much like ventilators that are in shortage and have to be prioritized. Every business must make a fair assessment of how much assistance is required and ask for what is fair. We must ensure that we are not usurping the justful share of others. Understanding your level in the scale of suffering will help you to cope with the crisis better and at the same also help others to get adequate relief.

There are no quick fixes and it will not be a case of going from zero to one overnight. The suffering will subside gradually as we find innovative ways of handling the virus and resurrecting the economy, in the meanwhile staying optimist will make the pain easier to bear.

What is important is to feel and express gratitude if you are even one notch lower than others. Wise men say that the best way to forget your pain is to help someone in greater pain than you. Look around there are many at a scale higher than you, work to alleviate their suffering, and yours will surely diminish.

Please stay home a little longer even if you feel it is safe to resume.

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