In the world we live in, charity is defined as a voluntary giving of help in the form of money to those in need. During these times when the world goes through a global pandemic, the realisation of more important contrivances in life arises thus the question, is money the only charity our world requires? The world requires a charity of humanity, kindness and of magnanimity.
The global pandemic of Covid-19 has subsequently slowed down the rush in our lives and made us reflect more on ourselves, our abilities as well as the people around us but as we know that not every opportunity is perfect. It was observed that around 450 million people worldwide currently suffer from mental and neurological disorders, placing mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and stress among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide. It is well known that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, even if either is not fit, the other suffers. Thus affecting the immunity which is required to fight this disease of covid-19 and consequently causing more loss of lives. The pandemic caused a subsequent rise in the number of people affected by it due to the necessary preventive measures such as self-isolation and very limited human contact. During these times, the consumption of alcohol by people who are mentally exhausted has increased as a result of which their physical health suffers. The ill effects of high consumption of alcohol include chronic diseases as well as serious problems such as heart disease, liver disease and cancer.
Just like this disease threatens our physical health, mental health takes a backlash because of it as well and people need to understand the importance of peer support during these times. According to the World health organisation, currently, more than 40% of countries have no mental health policy and over 30% have no mental health programme. Around 25% of countries have no mental health legislation. The government must realise by now that insurances and policies for physical health are not the only concern, the same for mental health has now become extremely essential. They need to take steps and spread awareness to the general public so that people can identify if their peers are suffering from any of the mental disorders and provide aid to them before it’s too late. Drugs that are effective in dealing with some of the disorders such as depression, schizophrenia and epilepsy must be made available in various countries, even after so many years some countries lack these resources. Strategies for control, prevention and curation of mental illnesses must be made by all countries and policies for the same should be implemented by the government on the large scale to save and protect the lives of those affected by it.
During normal times, mental health issues are crucial to the functioning of society. Whereas, during this pandemic, it is not only affecting that but also the way a person will respond to the disease and recover from it. Seeing the measure of spread and the graveness of mental illness shows that the world neglected the importance of a healthy mind and was not prepared to face the impact the pandemic has on us. It is thus essential that we now wake up from a long sleep of ignorance towards mental issues and help each other to face them, to cure them. As rightly said by Sir Thomas Browne that “charity begins from home”, which does include the charity of generosity and humanity. We need to start acting responsible and look out for our peers, our family and friends. Nearly ten per cent of the world population suffers from mental illnesses. Chances are that a sufferer is amongst you, try and detect it by their behaviour, by their speech, by the way, they interact with family members and with strangers. Read about different types of mental issues as well as their symptoms to recognise them. Try to interact with them more often and ask them about the way they feel, make them feel comfortable and try to normalize mental illness just like we have normalized other physical illnesses. Any peculiarity or sudden behaviour change must not be taken lightly because mentally ill patients do not seek help but choose to suffer. Thus becoming the duty of the ones around them to ensure their good health and safety. People should perform random acts of kindness, even the simplest ones such as saying kind words, complimenting strangers, smiling at people you pass by, may make someone’s day better you never know and doing these simple but generous and powerful things show your contribution and charity towards your society.
Conquests come only after fighting battles not only with courage but also with solidarity. Thus we must all unite and fight this battle against mental illnesses. While we do our good work and this charity of love and kindness, let us not forget that we stand together and endeavor to make a world where charity will have become unnecessary.