While corporate social responsibility has been the buzzword for over a decade, it appears as though the society has forgotten the Individual Social Responsibility! Therefore, it’s time to remind ourselves the ISR. Man is a social animal and every individual is interdependent in the society. Over the last few decades, we have witnessed the rapid urbanization resulting in huge migration and emergence of nuclear families. Each one focusing on their occupation amidst long commutation to the work place and extended working hours too with meagre income unable to make both ends meet, people have gradually turned selfish forgetting the society around.
The two sides of a Coin
The pandemic has exposed the huge divide between humane and inhumane behaviours in people. It’s not about being rich or poor, male or female, young or old! It’s all about treating fellow human beings with dignity, decency and decorum. After the outbreak, the society has witnessed several forthcoming people outpouring their generosity in very many ways such as, supporting the neighbours or colleagues who were infected, sustaining families by not insisting on rents for a few months from their tenants, providing food / groceries to individuals / families within their limited resources during and post lockdown and like-minded individuals forming small groups extending support to the society in cash / kind. On the contrary, the society has also witnessed exploitation and callous behaviour of some people such as masks & sanitizers sold at exorbitant prices when needed most, some corporate hospitals inducing fear in patients and fleecing money and some housing societies / house owners asking the infected persons to vacate the place.
ISR
It is the irresponsible behaviour of some individuals which led to the spiking of the virus case loads in the society post lockdown. Long queues flouting all the Covid19 norms, travelling together to places of worship with friends and family, partying and get-togethers in homes, car-pooling with strangers, violating the mask, distancing and handwash norms at work places and students appearing for college / competitive exams shaking hands, hugging and shunning the masks for selfies with friends are glaring examples of negligent actions. By the time such individuals realise that they are doing wrong, many members in their families, friends, colleagues and others in the society would have contracted the virus through them. This is where Individual Social Responsibility comes into picture.
