“Alike”, though not “identical”: A word on reconciling human unity with the undeniable fact of individual difference during the coronavirus pandemic
Here at alike, we believe that there is more that unites us than divides us. There is no greater relief than to know you are far from alone. That somehow, we all find ourselves in the same boat, fighting the same storm.
“Alike,”
We rely on the existence of people, of community, of an unwavering “we” for a sense of comfort and security. However, we tend to use the term erroneously. Rather than relying on a uniform, identical existence of a “we”, let us turn our gaze towards what “we” it actually represents. Who does it include? Who does it exclude?
Comforting thoughts of unity and “we-ness”, despite their validity, are interrupted by harsh realities such as this one: the diversity of the human population makes it merely impossible that all of us must be experiencing this pandemic in an identical, unified way.
So, we must ask ourselves the following: what constitutes this “we”? What exactly is it that connects us? How must we reconcile inherent, individual difference with human alikeness?
“…though not Identical”
When considered purely as a physical illness, COVID-19 does not discriminate; all of us are at risk of its perils. However, these past few months have proven that conversations about the pandemic go beyond just public health: the economy, education, family life, mental health, among other social determinants of wellbeing must be considered. We must acknowledge that individual differences in our positions in society affect how certain events are experienced, and this global pandemic is no exception. Take gender, for example.
As COO of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg recently made clear, prior to coronavirus hitting the U.S., many women had already been working a “double shift”: doing their day jobs, then returning home where they were responsible for most of the childcare and domestic responsibilities. With the major changes brought about by the coronavirus pandemic–inevitable job losses, the closing of schools and daycare facilities, and the placement of children and workers back into the home–women are disproportionately occupied with domestic and career responsibilities, making it difficult to not only keep households afloat, but also to maintain their freedom, health and independence.
A 2013 report on gender equality in the Philippine labour market showed that women have primary responsibility for household and care work, as well as a higher total work burden relative to men. Gendered social norms demand that women’s time commitments and responsibilities be largely allocated to domestic and unpaid care work, and such a finding has been slow to change despite women’s increased participation in the labour force. Such confirms the existence of a woman’s “double shift”. In taking the
coronavirus pandemic into consideration, it becomes inevitable that our country’s women will continue to be disproportionately overwhelmed by the pandemic’s novel burdens.
What we soon realise is that our “new normal” will be much easier for some than others. Those with domestic responsibilities are unlikely to have time for quiet reflection and recuperation. Quarantining will be easier for those in spacious homes, than those living in cramped apartments or urban slums. The reality of domestic abuse victims is a sober one – staying inside may not only be a challenge, but a source of danger.
Consider these two realities: the life of a celebrity who spends their time in lockdown filming TikToks and getting millions of views in return, and a fatigued Puregold store clerk who after spending hours walking in the heat to their place of work, spends another eight hours bagging groceries, serving their local community, and standing at the front lines. How alike are these two realities?
What Connects Us
We are all staring COVID-19 and all its dangers in the eye, though each with undeniably different experiences.
Amid all of this reality, it is easy to lose hope. Suddenly, comforting mantras expressing human unity are weakened. However, it remains true that although our experiences are far from identical, we are all still alike. All of us are being challenged by the unfamiliar, the dangerous and the chaotic. There are a myriad of ways through which these challenges are being experienced, but these challenges are happening in parallel.
We are alike in recognising that the world we live in – our society, our rules, our systems, the structures in place – is a broken one. It is a world in need of love, of equality, and a hard look at what we conceive to be “normal” about how a society treats its people. We are all being challenged to look at our lives–both personal and public–and see how we can improve them, see how we can change for better. There still remains capacity for love, growth, change and second chances. Now more than ever, it is our duty to purge our lives of pettiness, darkness and unnecessary turmoils that pale in comparison to the larger crises at hand.
We are all being hit by the same storm, though perhaps on different sized boats. What brings us together is how we are all being challenged to stay afloat; using each other and the existence of hope to keep moving forward in new ways.
—alike.com.ph
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