As
‘them’ and ‘us’ perhaps becomes a greater ‘we’ - ‽istis
perhaps, possibly, maybe realises just a little of what life is like for so many…
(weekending March 21st 2020)
‽istis realises (as the responses to the Covid-19 threat embed) perhaps, possibly maybe a little, just a little of what life has been, and is like - for so many[i]
‽
As schools in the
UK close: ‘Globally, an estimated 617 million children and adolescents
of primary and lower secondary school age—more than 55 per cent of the global
total—lacked minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics in 2015. One third
of those children and adolescents were out of school and urgently needed access
to education.’
‽
As some shops run
out of basics: ‘An estimated 821 million people were
undernourished in 2017… 149 million children under 5 years of age—22 per cent
of the global under-5 population—were still chronically undernourished in 2018.’
‽
As toilet paper is hard to come by: ‘The proportion of the global population
using safely managed sanitation services increased from 28 per cent in 2000 to
45 per cent in 2017… Despite that
progress, an estimated 673 million people (9 per cent of the global population)
still practised open defecation in 2017.’
‽
As rigorous and frequent handwashing becomes standard
(even in the Gents!): ‘In 2017, three out of five people worldwide had a basic
handwashing facility with soap and water on the premises, compared with less
than one out of three (28 per cent) in least developed countries. That means
that, globally, an estimated 3 billion people are still unable to properly wash
their hands at home.’
‽
As financial
worries multiply and job security is threatened:
‘The
nowcast shows the 2018 rate of extreme poverty at 8.6 per cent, and baseline
projections suggest that 6 per cent of the world’s population will still be
living in extreme poverty in 2030, if current trends continue.’ ‘More
than one third of employed workers in sub-Saharan Africa still live on less
than $1.90 a day. Having a job does not guarantee a decent living. In fact, 8
per cent of employed workers and their families worldwide lived in extreme
poverty in 2018.’
‽
As health
services are stretched: ‘Health personnel
are stretched beyond their limit in countries where they are needed most. Available
data from 2013 to 2018 indicate that close to 40 per cent of all countries have
fewer than 10 medical doctors per 10,000 people, and around 58 per cent of
countries have fewer than 40 nursing and midwifery personnel per 10,000 people.
This is only a slight improvement from 2010 to 2015. Evidence shows that health workers are
unevenly distributed across the globe and even within countries. Not
surprisingly, regions with the highest burden of disease have the lowest
proportion of health workers to deliver services. All of the least developed
countries have fewer than 10 medical doctors per 10,000 people, and 98 per cent
have fewer than 40 nursing and midwifery personnel per 10,000 people. It is
estimated that around 18 million additional health workers will be needed
globally by 2030 to ensure healthy lives for all.’
‽
As the Courts and
trials face disruption: ‘Realizing the
goal of peaceful, just and inclusive societies is still a long way off. In
recent years, no substantial advances have been made towards ending violence,
promoting the rule of law, strengthening institutions at all levels, or
increasing access to justice. Millions of people have been deprived of their
security, rights and opportunities, while attacks on human rights activists and
journalists are holding back development.’
(Just some examples that may resonate at this
particular time and with detail from the ‘UN Sustainable Development Goals
Report 2019’). But pick a theme, pick a place in the world, pick a period in
history and perhaps, possibly, maybe reflect for a moment on many, many people’s
and peoples’ past and present realities…)
‽istis wonders whether:
· as a taste of what everyday life is like for
so many becomes the experience of more (and especially the more usually powerful,
the more usually exempt, the more usually protected, the more usually comfortable,
the more usually safe, the more usually well),
· as ‘them’ and ‘us’ perhaps becomes a greater ‘we’
could this herald (or force) the start of
something more fundamental and radical:
· a rebalancing[ii];
· more communitarian than individual;
· more collaborative than competitive;
· more ‘world first’ than ‘insert
nation state name first’;
· more all than some
· …and perhaps necessarily reparative,
restorative, progressively redistributive, just, equitable, humanitarian, universal…?
And
‽istis fears that realisation may be the easy bit. But
just for a moment imagine[iii]… Perhaps, possibly, maybe a new realisation (either recognised through empathy
and compassion, or very sadly forced through circumstance) could find a new will, that would
find a new way?
© Pistis
[i] https://unstats.un.org/home/ and the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2019/
[ii] With
more than a nod to John Rawls (see, for example: https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2018/07/27/john-rawls-a-theory-of-justice/
)
[iii]
Perhaps (if we can get behind the apparent frequent appropriation, the ‘nice-ified’
versions, the gendered language?, if we can bear to hear the radical words
behind the familiarity, the perhaps safely-gentle tune and the lauded or derided celebrity sing-alongs! (edited: 20/03/2020)) with the assistance
of Mr J Lennon…? e.g: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8fUcagy_Uc
or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvXKavlH5O8
or many, many others…
