I thought Camus’’s novel on The Plague would be a good read now, as we see much of what happened in the Algerian city of Oran happening now. Yet again, The Plague enforces Camus’s belief in optimism in times of hopelessness — that life is worth fighting for no matter how bleak the future seems and how strong the adversaries are.
While some saw abstraction, others saw truth
Without fully soaking in the string of surprising events and remaining in denial of what was currently happening, many went on life as usual, frolicking in the quaint cafes lining the streets of Oran.
In Oran, very obviously, things had changed, cafes soon had to put up signs that their utensils have been properly sterilized and people were banned from making phone calls at the public phone booth in fears of the disease spreading through overcrowding.
At the start of this coronavirus situation, when it just reached the shores of Singapore till when it slowly started worsening, many, including myself did not fathom of the possibility of not being able to meet our friends, having to stay home. We were not ready to give up this lifestyle we had obviously taken for granted.
But was this truly an abstraction for our frontline healthcare workers especially? Similar to Rieux the doctor (in the book) who spent his days in the hospital where the plague was working overtime, risking his safety and treating the patients to the best of his abilities? Yes, there certainly is an element of abstraction and unreality in misfortune. But when an abstraction starts to kill you, you have to get to work on it.
Quarantine — Becoming prisoners of the plague, but were we truly free?
In his book The Plague, the town was ordered to be closed down and a state of emergency was declared. It went immediately from business as usual to a state of complete lock down where fear started creeping in — from the thought of being separated from their loved ones.
At the very moment when the inhabitants of the town started to panic, their thoughts were entirely concerned with the person for whom they were waiting. The egotism of love protected them in the midst of the general distress and, if they did think about the plague, it was always and only to the extent that it risked making their separation eternal. Thus at the very heart of the epidemic they presented a salutary detachment that people were inclined to mistake for cool-headed composure.
Perhaps, we can draw many parallels to this pandemic that plagues our cities today, with measures at one end of the spectrum being one of a complete nationwide lockdown to nation states that are still going on 'business as usual' (what is the new normal), not forgetting those in the middle of the spectrum with partial lock down measures implemented.
One of the most remarkable consequences was that the people were not prepared for it. In Singapore, it felt more like this lockdown was rolled out phase by phase which in the sense allowed Singaporeans to be more mentally prepared. Still, it was hard. It is sad that it took a pandemic of this scale to realise that we have been taking simple pleasures such as eating out and even heading to the gym for granted.
A convenient way of getting to know a town is to find out how people there work, how they love and how they die
The citizens work a good deal, but of course to make money. Naturally, they also enjoy simple pleasures, but they very sensibly keep these activities for the weekends while they make as much money as possible on the weekdays. Sounds familiar? Yes, Oran is indeed the embodiment of how today’s modern society works.
This got me thinking? The citizens in Oran, like us now, were we truly free before the plague? Or were we already slaves to capitalism in which we had internalised?
The numbers matters
Indeed, it began when the citizens of Oran were worrying over the increasing number of dead rats found on the streets. Once it flashed across the media that dead rats were piling up on every corner of the streets, these appalling numbers sent fear coursing through veins.
Numbers are powerful, numbers tell stories. Shortly after Singapore reported its first 2 deaths, speculation and panic of Singapore going into a lockdown spread like wildfire on the internet, leading to mad queues forming at the supermarkets, emphasising again how absorbed people are in numbers.
Optimism in times of hopelessness
The Plague and Coronavirus does not discriminate against class, gender and race. Once we realise that death is mankind’s collective fate — a collective catastrophe, we realise that we are are in this together. Akin to how to citizens of Oran unite through common suffering, this crisis will hopefully end faster if we stay united throughout.
The outpour of support and monetary donations to not only our frontline workers but also to those in greater need perhaps spells the revival of humanity — the intrinsic desire to support those in greater need.
