After the Virus: Can We Restore Altruism?

We live in a country where the debate over health care rages on. Some see it as a fundamental right for all, others rail against the notion, calling it radical. But regardless of whether your core values are driven by self-interest or humanism; or your opinion shaped by fear of change, faith in the status quo, or ignorance of that which hasn’t touched you, infectious disease reminds us that we are all in this together and that a greater investment in health care, and in one another, is of dire importance for us all.    

The coronavirus that has befallen us is as humbling as it is frightening. We must cope with a lack of control and a vast array of unknowns. We don’t know what to expect. And we can't fathom the number of lives that this pandemic will claim. Many of us are trying to ward off the worst, staying home, washing our hands, protecting vulnerable family members. That’s all we can do because it’s too late to shore up a healthier, stronger society, one that is sturdy enough to minimize the inevitable losses.  

Currently, in the US, the number of working-poor is on the rise; diminished social programs have precluded proper diets and weakened immune systems; budget cuts have decimated public health departments; and the prison population—the highest in the world—disregards nutrition, provides a breeding ground for the spread of disease, and further impoverishes families in need. The impact of this kind of short-sightedness will undoubtedly increase the death toll, and we will lose people who would have lived if we took better care of each other. 

The reality is that injustice and inequality kill—a shameful fact, routinely ignored and mostly contained among the downtrodden. But the spread of disease doesn’t discriminate; its growth is exponential and will demand more of a health care system that is underfunded, poorly equipped, and soon to be overwhelmed. People who could be saved will die. These losses will cut through all segments of our population. And maybe the high price of injustice and inequality will become a little clearer.

After this virus is through with us, it’s possible that the lessons learned will motivate more of us to help the disadvantaged and be a voice for human rights. In addition to making a donation or hosting a glamorous fundraiser, maybe we will work directly with, and get to know, those who can’t rise up without help, those who too often we dismiss, look down on, or even blame for their suffering.

Any shift toward restoring the altruism that a healthy society depends on will represent a step in the right direction, one that will model for our children that selfish disregard for those in need is not only tragic, but it is also undermining our democracy.