We're not in the same boat.

The outbreak of the pandemic presents a possibility for the emergence of a host of clichés that seem to say a lot, but in reality hide the essential. “Nothing will be the same again,” “We’re all in the same boat,” “No one is saved alone,” “It’s easier to see the end of the world than the end of capitalism,” etc., etc.

Of course, many things will change, both in people's lifestyles and in the importance of public health policies, as well as in the way people are viewed towards the most vulnerable, especially the homeless population. But we will see whether the elements of continuity or change will prevail.

The crisis has brought the State to the forefront of everyone's attention. No one can conceive of any kind of action against the pandemic without the State playing a central leading role.

Public health services come first and foremost, with the SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System) as a key player. The most democratic public health system in the world is gaining everyone's attention, with people demanding decisive action to protect us from the effects of the virus. Donations are being made to the SUS, and unprecedented public acknowledgments are being expressed.

The truth is that health has always been the biggest concern for Brazilians. Any survey, which is usually conducted in pre-election periods, indicates that the biggest concern for Brazilians is not public safety or corruption, as the media tries to suggest, but health. But it never occupied the center of election campaigns, nor was it a priority for governments – except for those of the PT (Workers' Party). It was only when people became afraid of catching an unknown virus and even dying from it that they made health their greatest, almost absolute, concern. 

But while the pandemic affects everyone, not everyone experiences it in the same way. The idea that "we're all in the same boat" obscures the fundamental truth. In the turbulent sea, some experience the situation aboard an ocean liner, unaware of the real risks of the pandemic. Others experience it from precarious boats that could capsize at any moment, leaving everyone completely defenseless.

In extreme circumstances like this pandemic, social inequalities come to the fore even more forcefully. There are quarantines and then there are quarantines. There are quarantines in comfortable places, with guaranteed income. And then there are quarantines of people crammed together, without even the conditions to comply with hygiene requirements.

There's a joke about an English lord asking his butler:

• Como está o tempo hoje?
• We'll have rain, sir.
• No. I'll have my rain and you'll have yours.

 The same thing is happening now. Everyone is in their own quarantine. We're not all in the same boat. Not even in the face of a pandemic that, in principle, affects everyone, do inequalities disappear. On the contrary, they highlight different destinies, depending on where a person is in society.

The society we will live in after the peak of the pandemic will not alter inequalities either. It is true that a great sense of community support for the most vulnerable has emerged. It is true that the media has discovered the people on the street, with faces, names, and surnames. The elderly can also count on the attention they are never given. But we will see how much of this will survive the current circumstances.

Countries will emerge economically and socially devastated. One can count on the prestige of the public sector, the only entity capable of leading the reconstruction of societies, as well as this feeling of compassion.

But everything depends on which government will take on the great and difficult task of rebuilding the countries. And, from there, who will finance this reconstruction. The right wing will return with its mantra of public deficit and fiscal adjustment, through which it will again try to advance the privatization of public assets, the reduction of salaries for public servants and private sector workers.

Either financial capital and its speculative processes will be heavily taxed, as will large fortunes and inheritances, and tax evasion will be severely combated, while capital flight will be curbed.

The struggle for surplus wealth will return with intensity. Some will emerge rested and with their assets intact. Others will be unemployed, with reduced wages, among other harsh consequences of the quarantine. This shows that we weathered the storm in different boats and will arrive at a post-pandemic situation in distinct circumstances.

The future will be different from what we have experienced in the past and what we are experiencing now. The future will not be a linear projection of the past or the current situation. It will be a distinct moment, open for us to build a different society, more supportive, less unequal, with more security in health, education, employment, wages, and life itself.