What is COVID-19 Teaching?

How has COVID changed our lives?

Are the changes that we see now happening because of COVID or were there changes that were already afoot but just accelerated or highlighted by COVID? Are the measures being implemented actually unreasonable or are they things we should have been doing as decent human beings now having to be forced to do what we should have already been doing?

The afternoon was nice and somber.  Due to the rains in the day, the drive up to Sankofie Jamaica was even more peaceful than previous journeys, with a little fog splotched here and there as we drove up to our sanctuary above Kingston, above even the most impressive skyscrapers of the city, the traffic drowned out by silence, interspersed with faint sounds of nature. 

The topic of the day.  COVID.  Ironically the weekend lockdowns impacted our traditional Sunday 9am gatherings.  So, a natural, uneventful shift was made to Thursday afternoons, and still well attended by the majority of the members.  

How has COVID impacted your lives?

One year into our being in the COVID pandemic, we evaluate its impact and lessons.  At the beginning of 2020 we received clear messages from the ancestors on how to proceed with the year.  Since that moment Sankofie has been proactive in protecting its members. Changes in our gathering rituals such as cleansing upon entrance, non-physical greetings, and social distancing were implemented. Also with guidance from the Abosom through our Okomfo, teas and baths were recommended and prepared.  Sankofie has kept ahead of the curve, as mentioned changing our meeting dates from Sunday to Thursdays and now to Zoom to ensure the uninterrupted space for members as lockdown becomes even more severe.

Individually, members have reflected that COVID allowed them to develop new interests and hobbies, to spend more time with children and family, to appreciate their strength and resilience, and to expose their support system.  On a human level, COVID seemed to have had more benefits than disadvantages.

Are the changes that we see now happening, because of COVID, or were they changes that were already afoot but just accelerated by COVID?

But what about on a societal level? At the beginning of COVID, a number of banks began offering compassionate loans, expressing that they cared and wanted to help.  However, one year later, many people are having challenges with their loans.

Additionally, many banks are closing branches after years of successful operations, making staff redundant and shifting to digital processing and services.  The digitizing of businesses was already on the agenda.  So why pretend as if COVID is THE cause?

We looked intently at the work/labour dichotomy and what it has become.  The relationship between employer and employee mimics the relationship with slave master and slave as inherited through slavery and given life through our laws and customs.  What does this mean as many have shifted to working from home? Will working from home measures be maintained? COVID has now proven that working from home is an overall best practice with increased productivity and reduced cost and anxiety, for both employer and employee.  Even still, one member commented that the measures to control employees in the digital/work-from-home space have simply evolved, with employees using webcam and apps to determine time away from the desk, limited in cases to 30 seconds.

We were reminded of the importance of being accountable with high integrity at work.  If we agree to do a set of tasks, these tasks must be done with honour and respect, which includes arriving to work on time…and conversely leaving on time.  If it is deemed that the tasks cannot be accomplished in the given time, the demands of the task should be revisited and the time required to complete them adjusted accordingly.  A member, employed in the Tourism Industry, commented that the laying off of staff meant the increase in hours and workload for the remaining staff, she shared the sentiment of others that it was abuse.  

A discussion ensued around understanding our value and knowing when to walk away when our spirit becomes unhappy.  

Are the measures being implemented actually unreasonable, or are they things we should have been doing as decent human beings, now having to be forced to do what we should have already been doing?

How ridiculous is it that we have to be reminded to wash our hands? Other COVID measures include social distancing – staying 6ft apart, staying home, spending time with family, and wearing a mask are being met with such vehemence, as if they all are dangerous.  We see the discomfort and unfamiliarity with these measures uncovering some serious and unhealthy practices. The issue of wearing a mask is being fought by some groups who complain about the use of masks and oxygen deprivation, yet still religions/cultures have existed for millenia wearing a face and head covering, even in the face of widespread attacks and even with heavy fines in some parts of the world, such as France which has a fine implemented for wearing the Niqab head covering traditionally by Muslim women.  Nana, expressed that at times, she felt relieved to not have to breathe in the scents of the city, the air polluted by vehicles and city life, that wearing the mask has allowed her to protect her lungs a little more. 

Washing hands and being sanitized has no doubt made us uncomfortably aware of how much we touch surfaces that also have been touched by so many people, who we do not know and who we know nothing of their sanitation practices.  Before COVID, many people were not taking as much care to clean hands before touching our faces or eating food, nor were we sanitizing shoes and clothes before going home to our families, plopping onto the sofa with the germs of the day.

Standing 6-feet apart after being so desensitized by the bullying of our personal space, becomes unbelievable when we don’t understand the psychological importance of space and its impact on irritability and, by extension, violent reactions. 

Being quarantined at home has also forced people to spend more time around family members than usual.  Emotions that were dishonorably farmed out to other activities, like work, drinks with friends or other forms of entertainment have now, to be sitting down with the people in our space everyday with no distractions.  For many, this is resulting in unpleasant outcomes with an increase in domestic violence and reported sexual abuse.  Is it that COVID is causing more children to be sexually molested, or is COVID causing the discovery of such abuse?  Is it that the woman is now being physically abused because of COVID simply causing the discovery of what was already the situation?  Our predatory culture is nothing new, sexual abuse of boys and girls by family and family friends has been a private feature of our society.  Is the woman being beaten at home, just now realizing the abusive nature of her partner, or are her partner’s true behaviours being unearthed in the absence of distractions.

Summary:

The COVID Pandemic isn’t novel.  It is sent to remind us of some important concepts we have forgotten.  The need to be clean, inside and out.  The need to return to some historical practices of sanitation and of being.