PETALING JAYA: While the Covid-19 pandemic has brought out the best in many people, it has also exposed the dark side of some.
This, according to health experts, has as much to do with the fear of getting infected as it has to do with steps needed to prevent contracting the virus.
President of the Malaysian Wellness Society Dr Rajbans Singh (pix) pointed out that humans are, by nature, not selfish.
“We have familial bonds and friendships which show that we are not self-centred beings as we care for others,” he told theSun yesterday.
However, he said, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced people to avoid others, don masks that shield their facial expressions and stay apart from one another through social distancing.
“This makes people more fearful and the ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality sets in.”
Rajbans, who is an internal medicine specialist at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, agrees that the fear and current state of mind could help to keep the spread of infections under control.
“But once this pandemic is over, it is important that society learns to revert to the way we once were.”
Rajbans said that in “blue zones” – parts of the world where people live much longer than average – it has been proven that a very active social life and close relationships with others contribute to long and healthy lives.
“Helping others and being considerate are very important for health and a strong immune system.”
In his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey says synergy and interdependence are important.
Economist Tan Sri Ramon Navartnam fears that selfishness could, in the longer term, have a negative impact on the country’s economic health.
Ramon, who is director of the Asian Strategic and Leadership Institute, said selfishness breeds greed which leads to the oppression of the less fortunate.
He expressed concern that since many high-income countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have started pre-ordering vast amounts of vaccines, it would eventually see low-income countries struggling to acquire sufficient doses.
“In the end, only the rich will profit from this. It’s a very toxic deal. Selfishness is self-destructive, so it is better to share and be considerate.”
