Dr Jeofrey Mtemeri
The COVID-19 pandemic has
brought along with it uncertainties among many people across the whole world. The
uncertainties include worries on the unpredictability of what the future holds
in terms of employment, financial stability, children’s education and business.
Meaninglessness and despair hoover around the entirety of the universe. So many
people would be in financial dire straits caused by COVID 19 induced shut downs
of both formal and informal businesses.
Many businesses, for instance, would experience
huge losses. Imagine a farmer whose cash crop was ready for harvest and ready
for the market and all of a sudden, he/she realises that he/she can’t reach out
to customers because of the lockdown. Twenty one days are a long period to wait
for such farmers. Needless to say, people are busy counting the losses. Despite
all these challenges, let us remain positive and proceed to plan B to minimise
the losses. Don’t lose hope. Some vegetables, for instance, can be dried and
sold later. This can salvage the situation to some extent. An old adage says
half a loaf is better than nothing.
People are free agents as
espoused by the existentialists. They are free to make choices that define
their lives. They are rational beings even in times of plagues and pandemics.
Your future lies entirely in your hands. Make do with what surrounds you and make the
best out of the lockdown time. Try to think outside the box. You can start on a
project whilst you are in such kind of detentions. Think of Nelson Mandela and
many other freedom fighters who were in prison for a long period of time.
Instead of doing nothing and mourning about their detention, they started
writing books or further their education. These acts show the invincibility of
hope even in the most trying times of people’s lives. In other words, instead
of folding hands and counting the losses, people should be motivated by the
fact that they are the masters of their destiny. This is an existential
philosophy that people can make meaningful choices even in the middle of
uncertainties. Make the best out of your helplessness and hopelessness. For
example those with machines such as computers, sewing machines, welding
machines and other gadgets can make use of the time as the sun will rise and
shine again.
Most people have no time
to be with their families as they are always busy trying to make ends meet.
This is unfortunate because, according to Denise Witmer, spending time together
is one of the greatest gifts families can give to one another. Research has also
proven that strong family bonds encourage good behaviour in children, improve
academic performance and strengthen family coherence. Thus, if you have had
little time with your family, take the lockdown as a time to create or recreate
a formidable bond with your family. Learn from your spouse or children. Your
family is important as they are the ones who are at your disposal to give you
counsel that you require to get rid of depression, stress, anxiety and other disorders
that can be caused by the lockdown. This might also be the time you and your
children are together this long. Be the role model that you can possibly be.
Children learn through experiences and modelling from their immediate environment.
In other words, children learn vicariously from those they value the most. Sit
together as a family, possibly around the dinner table and eat as a family.
Cell phones and other electrical gadgets like televisions must be switched off.
You don’t want to divide the family attention. This will strengthen the family
bond and family cohesiveness.
Be patient as the heyday will
be back. Remember this is not the first pandemic that has affected the world. As
far back as 430BC, there was The Plague of Athens which lasted about five years
and killed over 100 000 people. The black death from 1346-1353. This pandemic
wiped over half of Europe’s population. Mass graves were the solution to the
overwhelming death and burial of the dead caused by the pandemic. The London
plague around 1665 killed over 100 000 people. The 2009 influenza pandemic which
was caused by H1N1 virus killed over 100 000 people. All of these are now
history so shall be COVID-19, it will pass. So let’s not be devastated by this
as it will also pass just like other past pandemics.
Some people have already
lost or shall lose their loved ones due to the coronavirus. The grief that
shall be caused by this pandemic may be unbearable. Such people need to be
assisted so that they cope with heartbreaks. Countries such as Spain, Italy,
France and Britain who have so far lost many lives due to COVID-19 need to be
assisted during their time of mourning. People are buried in mass graves and sometimes
in the absence of their relatives. This has a ripple and devastating effect on
the surviving members of the family. Their grieving would be a combination of
anger and confusion. Absence of funeral rituals may be catastrophic in a way.
According to Michelle Drouin, funeral rituals are important parts of grieving
where people are reconciled with the deceased.
In Africa and other parts
of the world, veneration of the dead is very important. Sacrifices and prayers
are done to appease the dead. The absence of such ceremonies may create
a void between the dead and the living hence, people may dwell in mourning
longer than expected. There is still an attachment between the dead and the
living. Both African traditional religion and Christianity have some common
understanding of the dead such as dressing the dead, body viewing, visiting the
graves early in the morning and sometimes holding ceremonies after some time. These
ceremonies are part of mourning. If all these are not done it creates a void
that would require psychotherapy. Counselling centres need to be created to
help those who did not mourn their loved ones properly. Churches must come in
as support groups to help the nations in mourning. There is always a life even
after the death of the most loved ones.
The outbreak of COVID-19
should be taken as a wakeup call for nations to prepare for such eventualities in
future. So many nations were found with their pants down with very little
resources to fight the disease. Health facilities were not in good shape
despite having some infrastructure in place.
There is always light at the end of every
tunnel. Being exposed to such dreadful scenarios should help us prepare for the
future. Let us remain vigilant and positive in anticipation of the brighter
future. With time, the wounds will
always heal. The businesses that we would have lost during the lockdown will
slowly pick up and perhaps thrive or improve because of the timeout that was
made possible by the shutdown.
People’s way of life was
severely affected as they did not have enough food to sustain them during the 3
week long lockdown. Families may have been divided as a result of
misunderstandings that were caused by shortages. Healing of such families may
be necessary after the COVID-19 pandemic. Government, private sector, churches
and all concerned individuals should put resources together to give
psychosocial support and psychoeducation to all the affected.
The COVID-19 impact, so
far, is not as devastating as in other countries such as Italy and Spain. However,
people must continue to observe preventive methods beyond the shutdown. Such
pandemics do not just disappear all of a sudden but will slowly disappear in
the fullness of time. Bathing, washing of hands, use of detergents, maintaining
social distance and avoiding shaking of hands must be maintained for some time.
Let us be positive and wait in anticipation of the brighter future. Every dark
cloud has a silver lining and reports of containment of the pandemic in China
and signs of the slowing rates of infection and deaths in worst hit countries
such as Italy and Spain are encouraging.
Jeofrey Mtemeri (PhD)
Department of Psychology
Great Zimbabwe University (GZU)
