Shona Hyun Park - Jeju
Well, the spread of coronavirus is not our fault, is it? So it takes no responsibility for us in any situation. Nevertheless, the unchanging fact is that this virus is extremely dangerous and easily transmitted, which means we all are potential victims of the disease. Although this may give us some responsibilities, serious problems on the other side of the globe still may seem distant. However, as a whole community and individual human beings, we all form this planet together. Especially in a reality where survival is prioritized, to adapt to the present status quo, the most important thing is to maintain our global perspectives. Therefore, to get away from this appalling situation covered with cries of poverty-stricken children, the sick sufferings in agony, and families separated from their loved ones, we need to work as a team and advocate global perspectives around the world.
There are 3 main reasons why we need to maintain a global perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first reason is to create international standards and laws. The
priority in this pandemic is to ensure the safety of everyone. We must create basic standards that all countries can follow to minimize the spread of coronavirus.
Leaders of governments and industries need to come up with strategies and protocols to provide guidance and protect people today as well as in the aftermath of the crisis. This could not be solved without a global engagement of governments and organizations; all nations need to work side by side for this pandemic to truly come to an end.
The second reason is to advance international responsibility. Nations all around the world significantly influence each other. There isn’t a single country or continent to be held responsible for the virus. Now is the time to translate our words into actions instead of blaming one another. Countries like France, Spain, and Italy are nations that are heavily involved in tourism. Spain, for instance, through tourism, gains 13% of its total employment and earns 12% of the country’s total GDP. Therefore, this outbreak had a huge impact on financial matters for some countries. However, how is economics related to this? Does it
really have much of an effect? Yes, it does: for example, Nike, a global company, makes its products in factories in China, get their raw materials from Turkey, and process them through many other countries before ending up in stores all around the world. This is one tiny example among many where what we eat, wear and buy as a daily routine is in fact very closely related to the influence of other countries. As an international obligation, we are to be responsible to defend each other and ourselves as we are all in this together.
Lastly, the need for international cooperation. The lack of supplies and technology in developing countries make international cooperation paramount for the resolution of this
pandemic. The most effective solution would be to support each other with what each country is lacking. South Korea has supplied one million masks to war veterans in 22 different
countries to applaud the Korean War. Furthermore, South Korea has shared some of its techniques with England, and other European countries and was used to prevent the spread of the virus. As a desperate need of international cooperation, we should be able to look
at the situation on a broader level, to consider the possible potential of alliance among countries, in order to do that we need to maintain a global perspective as fighting alone is not a choice.
We do not need the cries of blames. We do not need any more agony in this world. We do not need racist comments splashed across social media. We had enough of sadness and injustice. What we truly need is to embrace each other as human beings and aid others in need. Let us start with love instead of hatred. Let us win with hope instead of despair. Let
us claim victory over this crisis by standing together.
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