THE COVID SPECTRUM THEORETICAL AND EXPERIENTIAL REFLECTIONS FROM INDIA AND BEYOND

<p>Description</p><p>The COVID Spectrum brings together a diverse range of essays from five continents</p><p>on the pandemic that plunged the world into an unprecedented crisis. Important</p><p>questions raised and sought to be answered in the first section of the book straddle</p><p>the personal and political as well as the economic and ethical: How can we prevent</p><p>social collapse when all human life isn't equally valued? What does it mean to be a</p><p>more caring society? Are our healthcare systems prepared for another such shock?</p><p>Can we continue to be driven by the 'market' or do we need a more normative</p><p>economics? How do we deal with conspiracy theories and misinformation in the</p><p>digital age especially in emergencies like this one? And have physical distancing</p><p>norms and video calls led to a fundamental break in the way we communicate?</p><p>The second section of the book shows how through all the chaos COVID has</p><p>engendered people across nations and cultures have found it within themselves</p><p>to courageously wade through the troubles. We see how the Cubans managed the</p><p>infection how the citizens of Hong Kong stood by each other and how the head</p><p>of state of an East African island nation showed us what it means to be a servant</p><p>leader. Psychotherapists try to figure out ways of battling isolation-induced stress.</p><p>Policy experts argue what we can do to alleviate the shocking exclusion suffered by</p><p>marginalized sections during the pandemic. And regular individuals learn the value</p><p>of being there for each other.</p><p>The world changed in 2019. What we collectively witnessed wasn't just a medical</p><p>emergency but a social and economic and conceptual breaking point. This</p><p>anthology expresses the hope that the 'Great Reset' which lies ahead could be a</p><p>real and enlightened one if we try.</p><p><br></p>