It’s been almost a year since COVID-19 stopped the world. Everyone has been affected, to an extent that ranges from so much to profoundly tragic. In March 2020, a few weeks after the pandemic, I wrote an opinion piece for CNN where I presented some ideas about what changes might take place due to future challenges. Now that we are well into this mess and with the growing hope of getting out of it in the next few months, it is time to reconsider some of these ideas.
First, a few facts.
This is the greatest existential threat of our generation. We have not faced the tragedy of two world wars, and so far we have escaped the continuing threat of nuclear war. It is important to compare the tragedy we are now going through with the devastation of the Spanish flu of 1918, with figures that seem almost incomprehensible. It is estimated that about 500 million people, about a third of the world’s population at the time, were infected with the virus. Of these, 50 million – 10% – died worldwide, of which 675,000 were in the United States. In today’s figures, this would mean that about 2.4 billion people would be infected and 240 million would die. At the time of writing, there were approximately 109 million confirmed infections (certainly an underestimation) and 2.4 million deaths. Although the numbers are much better worldwide this time, these data do not make us feel better. We are approaching half a million deaths in the United States, another incomprehensible number, approaching the number of losses in the United States during the Spanish flu. Denial, lack of federal leadership, top-down reduction of evidence and scientific support, satisfaction, denial of science – all this is to blame.
Science is essential.
A global pandemic of this magnitude is primarily a public health issue, and the first line of defense is through science and public policy working in tandem. The fact that we are doing relatively better than in 1918 speaks to the power of life-saving medicine: ventilators, antiviral drugs, better hygiene, a better understanding of how this virus works. The figures could have been much better if health policy measures had not been politically armed and added to the current ideological divide with tragic consequences. The fact that we now have highly effective vaccines, some using completely new technologies, speaks again to the power of science to save lives. This is a time to celebrate science in the service of the greater good of humanity.
We need to rethink who we are.
The earth has been around for 4.5 billion years; our species, homo sapiens, there are about 200,000 years.
Credit: desdemona72 via Adobe Stock
The pandemic exposed our perennial fragility as a species. Nature operates according to rules that do not include compassion for the loss of life. We are not above nature. Technology can give us the impression that we can control the ways of the world, but we are still very much part of the process of natural selection, getting sick, because the mutant forms of this virus and others create new challenges for public health. Natural selection is an endless struggle for survival. We cannot fool him in a permanent stop, but only in momentary stops. Indeed, as the environment changes, new life forms emerge and not all of them will be beneficial to us. The melting of permafrost brings diseases that affect our distant ancestors and against which we are defenseless. Rethinking who we are requires humility. Humility in the face of our limited resources, humility in the face of forces much stronger than us. We can dig deep holes and tunnels in the mountains, cut down forests and make the oceans recede. But each of these actions has a profound impact on the environment, which costs us dearly. Rethinking who we are requires a reformulation of our relationship with the planet. The earth has been around for 4.5 billion years; Our species, Homo sapiens, has existed for about 200,000 years. I just got here. The earth will continue without us. We cannot continue without it, however exploring space. The future of our project of civilization depends on our rethinking of our planetary role.
We are a human hive.
The pandemic has given us ample evidence of our codependence. We need each other at all levels; the first respondents, farmers and drivers, supermarket workers bringing food to our tables. It is said that the stability of society is nine tables away. If we don’t eat for 3 days, society goes wild. And we need energy, supply, banking systems, clear roads, clean cities, political stability, news and fast internet. In a hive, all workers contribute to the survival of the hive as a whole, every job is important. We are a human hive and we must respect all work and make sure that all workers are properly compensated. Living with dignity is not a luxury, it is a right.
We need to rethink social structure and inequality.
The unequal number of the pandemic has exposed systemic racism and social injustice to levels that can no longer be tolerated or overlooked by anyone and certainly by those in power. From at least the origins of agrarian civilization, our ancestors were divided into tribes so as to guarantee social cohesion against the struggling economies. Defined mainly by religious beliefs and social exclusion, such tribal walls have been the indicator of cultures around the globe. Now we have a different view of the place of humanity on this planet, together it is exposed to us in ways that many do not like. A virus doesn’t care what you think, the color of your skin or how much money you have in the bank. It will attack opportunistically and hijack your cellular material to reproduce. But the extent to which people can protect themselves against such attacks reveals social inequities in transparent ways. If you share an apartment with eight people and have to go to work every day, taking public transportation to get there, you will enter the war zone without a weapon or shelter.
We need to rethink the way we work.
With the fast internet, it is very clear that a large part of the trips to and from work or frequent trips to distant places for meetings are unnecessary, expensive and harmful to the environment. Huge expenses with business real estate can be avoided and directed towards higher compensation for workers and better computer and connectivity equipment. The notion of the center where people go to do business is fast becoming obsolete. The trip will be mainly for fun and adventure. However, for this to become the new normal, fast connectivity and better equipment must be accessible to all, such as electricity and clean water (there is definitely more to do here.) Otherwise, we will create another tribal division (it is already here), between those who have quick access to information and resources and those who do not.
The Black Death of the 14th century helped inaugurate the Renaissance, a spectacular flowering of human creativity. The Spanish flu was followed by Roaring Twenties, an era of explosive cultural dynamism that brought us jazz, Art Deco and a renewal of our ability to celebrate life and be productive: cars, phones, aviation, the film industry , electrical appliances, rapid industrial growth. What will be our post-pandemic revolution? The old ways are about to go; they are already going. A new world order is emerging, signs are everywhere. Not everyone is willing to see them or embark on this new adventure. But I hope that those who will inspire many will follow. All this loss must turn and open a new page in human history.