Page 162 - COVID-19: The Great Reset

3.1. Redefining our humanness

3.1.1. The better angels in our nature… or not

Psychologists point out that the pandemic, like most
transformative events, has the ability to bring out the best and the
worst in us. Angels or devils: what is the evidence so far?

At first glance, it seems the pandemic may have brought
people together. In March 2020, images from Italy, the country hit
hardest at that time, conveyed the impression that the collective

“war effort” was one of the only unexpected upsides of the
COVID-19 catastrophe that was engulfing the country. As the
whole population went into lockdown at home, innumerable
examples showed that, as a result, people not only had more time
for each other but also seemed to be kinder to one another. The

outlets for this enhanced collective sensitivity ranged from famous
opera singers performing for their neighbours from their balcony,
to a nightly ritual of the population singing health workers' praises

(a phenomenon that extended to almost the whole of Europe) plus
diverse acts of mutual help and support for those in need. Italy in
a sense led the way, and since, throughout the period of
confinement and throughout the world, there have been
comparable widespread examples of remarkable, personal and

social solidarity. Everywhere, simple acts of kindness, generosity
and altruism appear to be becoming the norm. In terms of what
we value, the notions of cooperation, communitarian ideas, the

sacrifice of self-interest for the common good and caring came to
the fore. Conversely, manifestations of individual power, popularity
and prestige were frowned upon, even eclipsing the appeal of the
“rich and famous” that faded as the pandemic progressed. One
commentator observed that the coronavirus had the effect of

swiftly “dismantling the cult of celebrity” – a key feature of our
modernity – noting: “The dream of class mobility dissipates when
society locks down, the economy stalls, the death count mounts

and everyone’s future is frozen inside their own crowded
apartment or palatial mansion. The difference between the two
has never been more obvious.” [141] A variety of such observations

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