Staying at Home is a Privilege
“I have often said that all the misfortune of men comes from one thing, which is not knowing how to rest in a room.” Four centuries ago, when Blaise Pascal wrote these words, he was addressing the issue of entertainment and how people use it to escape their reality. However, this phrase, taken in the context in which we live today, remains a truth that we cannot ignore. In fact, in the face of this deadly pandemic, there is no longer any doubt that the best way to avoid getting sick is to stay home. However, there are still many who refuse or cannot do so. Hence the necessity to discern one of the many lessons that this virus teaches us: staying at home is a privilege.
The governor of New York - the state most affected by the COVID-19 in the United States - stated on television that the coronavirus is “the great equalizer” because it attacks everyone without any racial or social discrimination. Everyone is in danger, youth, and adults. Could he have said it in a better way? I do not think so. Our ability, or not, to manage this virus makes us aware, if not, makes us discover another form of inequality. Because of the fear of spreading the disease, many more employers are letting their employees work from home. However, this measure does not apply to the entire working population for two reasons.
Credit: Ewan Yap @ewanyap
On the one hand, there is still a relatively small percentage of Americans, about 10%, according to a study that was conducted last year, who do not use the internet. On the other hand, another group does not have the leisure to have a job which they can do from their room. This group includes people working in restaurant businesses and those who sell in supermarkets, for example. They have the choice of continuing to work and being exposed to the virus or, otherwise, staying at home with no money to pay their rent.
Moreover, many people choose not to stay at home because they are bored, which brings us back to the issue of entertainment. Being at home, the number of possibilities, when it comes to entertainment, decreases considerably. Most people spend their time in front of their computers or watching TV - which is not necessarily available to everyone. The other day, I was talking to my friend in Haiti. He told me that he was taking precautionary measures, but that he could not stay at home all the time. He lives alone. When I asked him if he had access to electricity, he replied that “electricity is a phenomenon.” A way for him to say that it remains a luxury.
The option to stay at home is merely non-existent for a third group of people. The order “stay at home” becomes completely ironic when it comes to dealing with the matter of homelessness. I imagine that the solutions - if any - to this problem will vary from one country or state to another. However, one should not be surprised if there are places where homeless people have gone unnoticed as if the risks of coronavirus did not exist for them. The city of Las Vegas was under fire recently after an image surfaced on the internet of a group of homeless people who were sleeping in a parking lot. It was after the night shelter for the homeless of the Catholic Charities closed its doors because someone was infected with the virus. This measure is considered temporary. Nonetheless, the fact that had nothing else was planned for this group testifies to the seriousness of the problem.
This coronavirus opens our eyes to certain truths, such as inequalities. However, I fear that the gap will only continue to widen between those who have everything and the other group that is struggling to make ends meet. What can be done about this problem? While we are still trying to remedy this situation, those of you who are lucky enough to be able to stay at home, do so. It saves lives.