Epidemics are the moral mirror of individuals and society

Dr. Abdullah Muradoglu

During times of epidemic, many changes occur in human behavior. These changes should not weaken social values, but rather strengthen them. The social distancing rule in outbreaks is a strategic defense tool. Within the framework of medical science, limiting physical contact is the most basic rule. Thus, “awareness” will increase and “solidarity” will be preserved.

In the collective fight against the epidemic, our households and homes are “lines of defense.”

The concept of “frontline defense” encompasses the whole country.

The fates of these two lines of defense are entwined; without one, the other cannot survive.

Failure to abide by these rules can damage the defense of other households.

In this regard, we must be vigilant to help our most vulnerable against the epidemic. “Monitoring”, which is not tolerated in regular times, that is, surveillance, is considered a useful social behavior in times of an epidemic.

We need to know how our neighbors, relatives and extended families are doing.

We should keep an eye on each other. Limiting physical contact does not mean we abdicate our responsibility to others. Such monitoring saves lives and limits the spread of the epidemic.

It is emphasized in the Holy Quran that whoever kills a soul, it is as if he had slain all of mankind. And whoever saves a life – it is as if he had saved all of mankind. If we are to obey this Supreme Decree, we can slow the speed of the epidemic.

The slowing or stopping of the outbreak can be accomplished in a coherent joint action. Outbreaks are challenges to be overcome.

As a public, it is imperative to collectively battle this challenge.

Failure of even a small part of the public to participate in this joint initiative will allow the virus to spread more quickly.

In this defense, we are obliged to not turn our backs on each other, but to lean on one another.

Social solidarity is the most important bridge between one another.

We must preserve this bridge and further strengthen it.

“Common Good” is when we realize that our fate is closely connected with that of others.

As of now, all of humanity is facing the double-whammy that is the epidemic itself and the economic crisis caused by it.

The most effective defense against these crises is possible through social solidarity.

Social solidarity is passed down from the state to the people, from households to individuals, from individuals to individuals. Perhaps we are rediscovering our common values, which we had before taken for granted.

Such crucial times do a much better job of revealing who we truly are, what it means to be a community.

Outbreaks are said to be a type of disease that shows people who they really are. Outbreaks strip our reality to its most bare form.

They show how we behave towards each other, the attitude we adopt during difficult times.

Outbreaks not only bring out the worst in humans, but also the best in them.

To sum up, epidemics hold up a sort of moral mirror to individuals and society.

Actions taken in any link in the human chain will have an impact on others.

We’re more acutely aware of this during times of epidemics and other moments of social crisis. In outbreaks, “defending ourselves means defending someone else, defending someone else means defending ourselves.” In outbreaks, the feeling of “loneliness”, “lack of ownership” or “abandonment” weakens the immune system.

According to studies, the need for “attachment”, “holding on to one another” or “leaning on someone” is as basic as the need to eat.

Let us realize that we are protecting both society and ourselves by strictly following the rules of social distancing, isolation and personal hygiene.

However, let us nurture sympathy and altruism with the same diligence.

If being virtuous is important not only in epidemic cases but also in other situations, it is important to keep that in mind down the line.