With the advent of the COVID-19 virus, we have observed a culture of clashes on social media leading to a clash of cultures. Namaskaram or the Namaste, a gesture used in India to greet people, is propagated to be better than a handshake. The Japanese don’t shake hands, instead, they greet each other by bowing. Isn’t this manner of greeting also good to prevent the spread of the virus? Gestures like shaking hands, bowing down or namaskaram are etiquette learnt from our ancestors. These are unwritten laws to make people comfortable and accepted in a social setting. Shaking hands may increase the possibility of getting infected. However, humans have survived for several years following this etiquette of shaking hands when greeting people. People talk less about hygiene and more about how their culture, tradition, religion and rituals are the best. I have observed on social media, the pride associated with namaskaram, mentioned as the only and the right gesture, to greet people. What if the COVID-19 was an airborne virus? We are lucky that it is not.
Religious Propaganda
What is more frustrating is the mushrooming of religious propaganda during this pandemic. I received a forward on WhatsApp expanding COVID as Christ Over Virus Infections and Diseases. Why Christ, and why not Chaathan (A negative spirit or a devil in Malayalam)? All the other religions may have started to look out for their god’s name starting with the letter ‘C’. ‘Which religion or God has the power to annihilate this virus?’ is the viral debate that’s happening on social media now.
Meat Eaters Doomed
This pandemic has seen a lot of weird events, from chants to concoctions that proclaim to keep the virus at bay. More than the factual news of the disease, we are all more familiar with the ‘Go corona go’ chant by the politicians and the proclamation of cow dung and urine as an elixir to prevent the virus. In this chaos, all the vegetarians are supposedly saved and the meat-eaters doomed. Hence, giving rise to the wrong notion that vegetarianism is the best. Further proving that common sense is not so common.
The Host
Our belief system is the biggest pandemic of all. We try to push our beliefs and fake propaganda, the most dangerous of all viruses, into the minds of others. We are even conditioned to do this without understanding the reasons and repercussions. Social media has become a tool for this kind of propaganda and our politicians leverage it to their advantage. We the people are the host to these viruses, and let us remember that the virus will not survive without a host.
Read my blogs @ https://georgekoshi.com/blog/
Please subscribe to my Youtube Channel, Ideas Beats and Tunes https://www.youtube.com/c/GeorgeKoshi
Reach me @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgekoshi/
13 Comments
Hariesh · March 15, 2020 at 7:17 pm
Nice one. Last line is the punch
Boby George Kodiyat · March 16, 2020 at 7:48 am
Rightly said. Common sense is the rarest commodity today. We humans are the root cause of all vices as mentioned the religious fanaticism or these viruses. Precisely underlined in the closing phrase.
Raman TSK · March 15, 2020 at 7:41 pm
Couldn’t agree more. Looks that there are more viruses in thoughts as compared to the virus which grips the world today. Just wondering when we humans will start thinking that we human race are all one among the many species left in the world. We ought to consider ourselves lucky that we have survived so long despite differences that have been existing for centuries. It is time we sank all myopic thoughts and work together to save humanity. Let’s stop polluting the air. Let’s conserve water. Let’s protect the environment. Let’s be kinder to the animals. Let’s learn to love each other. Let’s race a generation that’ll make us proud, because the generation that’s growing now is cursing us for all the degeneration so far. We can’t afford to go to our grave with such a burden on our head. Let’s wake up and be together. Let the present emergence see the emergence of new thoughts, new actions from people who can claim to be redeemed.
Nandakumar · March 15, 2020 at 8:47 pm
Well said. Can’t agree more. The spread of the virus is more in whatsApp than in real world.
georgekoshi · March 15, 2020 at 9:12 pm
Thank you, Raman, for the thoughtful response.
Kathiresan · March 15, 2020 at 7:56 pm
Nice article.
Giridhari Prasad S · March 15, 2020 at 8:06 pm
Short yet very thought provoking.
Madhu Mayanat · March 15, 2020 at 9:03 pm
True. The tendency nowadays is to make anything a tool to further one’s own belief and agenda. It’s high time we come out of these narrow mindsets.
Bindu GR · March 15, 2020 at 9:22 pm
While I will strictly restrict my comments on religious propaganda… I disagree with the views on hand shakes.. All unwritten laws mentioned here have been laid down by folks who failed to comprehend the best practices laid down by our ancestors who had well thought through the effectiveness of certain practices one being the Namaste. If this is good for general hygiene.. Why not?
Praneetha · March 15, 2020 at 9:36 pm
Quite an interesting read.
Satheesan · March 15, 2020 at 10:19 pm
Though social medias are making us aware of the latest happenings on this virus, it is creating a big panic in human mindset on this infectious disease too much which is really unwanted. Definitely once we break the chains this will disappear very quick is my belief. I truly agree to George views on this.
Manodivya · March 16, 2020 at 8:03 am
Nice one ,👍🏻. It’s always the politicians who make the people. Illiterate with the mask of religion, culture etc
Manodivya · March 16, 2020 at 8:09 am
this is not the first time world being attacked by unpredictable virus . It happened in 1980’s and 2013 as well . But now social media is so powerful . Even though it is creating awareness about the pandemic,many false beliefs also being spread through this.