As a 64-year-old baby boomer, I have never lived through a
crisis such as the one we are now experiencing. That said, I do recall the
panic during the Cuban Missile Crisis back in the 60s. As a little boy, I vaguely
remember participating in a classroom drill wherein we were all instructed to
hide underneath our desks when a fire alarm sounded. Having seen video of a nuclear
explosion, I wasn’t exactly sure how hiding underneath a 1” thick fiberglass desk,
supported by flimsy aluminum tube legs was going to do me much good, but I did
what the adults told me to do. Many of my friends’ parents had bomb shelters in
their basements. I don’t remember any of them having toilets.
The thing that caught me by surprise when this Corona Virus
epidemic made the headlines was the immediacy of the panic. I suppose I’ve been
complacent, or so distracted by the constant reminder of all that is wrong with
mankind. I suppose the conditions were “dry” enough so that just one match was
all it took. It seems as if the uncertainty created by this latest epidemic,
exacerbated by bad leadership, a record stock market crash, the way information
(and misinformation) is disseminated instantly these days, and the fear that there
could be a lot of unknown carriers inadvertently causing “community spread” of
the virus, has made many of us anxious, fearful, and in some cases downright
unhinged. What is abundantly clear, and becomes more so as I grow older, is the
fact that, for the most part, we human beings are not anywhere near as in control
of our destinies as we would like to imagine. We never have been. Yes, we are
experiencing an existential threat from climate change, and greenhouse gases
are absolutely making things worse. Mankind has, by the way, had a history of
ignoring the laws of nature. My nephew who works for NOAA, and is the designated
meteorologist in our family, suggests that global warming is cyclical and irreversible.
Regardless of our propensity to hasten it, it will happen. What is most distressing
is our inability to be universally proactive about it. Disease is also nothing
new. The Bubonic Plague, The Spanish Flu, Polio, Smallpox, and most recently
AIDS and The Ebola Virus, have collectively wiped out millions of people around
the world.
I find it interesting that, after all the bad news about the
tendency of history to repeat itself – and make no mistake, there has been
nothing but bad news since this new decade began – we find ourselves threatened
by something that is not of our own making. This virus is, for the time being, something
for which we were unprepared. Perhaps in some way we screwed up, perhaps it was
unsanitary conditions in that Wuhan live market that unleased it. Perhaps it is
climate change that facilitates these opportunistic viruses, I have no idea. Maybe
the most intelligent scientists in the world don’t know. I guarantee you Wolf
Blitzer doesn’t. Given the interconnected nature of all events, it is likely at
least in part our fault. What I do know is that for most of my life I have
lived in opposition to nature. Only recently have I begun to recognize the
consequences of my ignorance about the science of ecology. I am more respectful
of that science now that I once was.
I have experienced the worst mankind has to offer, it’s drummed
into my head every day. I have also observed us at our heroic best. World War
II heroes sacrificed their lives to stop Hitler’s evil madness, Louis Pasteur paved
the way for the development of prophylactic vaccines, Alexander Fleming invented
penicillin, an antibiotic that probably saved billions of lives over the next 90
years. An East Indian man is walking around on the streets of Toronto handing
out hand sanitizer to strangers. Firemen and first responders routinely risk
their lives for people who take their heroism for granted. History is full of heroic
individuals who swim upstream against the white waters of “human nature” to
prove that we are better than our worst instincts. In Toronto, researchers have
isolated the COVID-19 virus, the first step in discovering a treatment and eventually
a vaccine. I am hopeful that in some convoluted way, this latest crisis will
break the cycle of universal divisiveness, something which is of our own
making. Stop blaming your incompetent leaders (whom we elected) and incubate
real ones. Show your children how to love, fight ignorance; find and listen to
the intelligent, reasonable people among us who may be our best hope for
survival. This virus won’t kill us all, but fear, ignorance, and hysteria eventually
will. I’ve made plenty of ignorant mistakes in my life, but if, heaven forbid,
I should die tomorrow, I want to be remembered as the guy who was responsible
for more good than harm. I don’t want to go down is history as the scammer who
advertised a cure for COVID-19, or that greedy bonehead who sold a roll of
toilet paper for $10. Listen to your health care experts and don’t panic. Epidemics
like this affect everyone, from all walks of life. It is natural to be
concerned, maybe even scared, but maybe from this crisis heroes will emerge. I
could use a little good news about human nature! Stay safe out there, wash your
hands, try not to touch your face, and remember, patience, human kindness and generosity
are the only antidotes to the ignorant nonsense we see and hear all around us.
Written by Jamie Oppenheimer ©2020
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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