We, as a country and, for that matter, the whole world, are on a roller-coaster ride driven by the pandemic of Coronavirus. Uncertainties, pessimism, fear of the unknown, and catastrophic economic toll have become part of our conversation and our preoccupation.
People wonder if the world can come out of this unforeseen and unprecedented calamity.
History is fickle and memories are often transient and fleeting. We tend to live in the present and often do not think that mankind has passed through such periods before. Relative prosperity and relative lack-of-want makes us comfortable and complacent. Used to grocery shelves laden with umpteen types of soft drinks and equally abundant varieties of toilet paper, we become despondent when we find shelves bereft of what we consider essentials for our survival. It is startling and discomforting.
Human ingenuity, however, has always triumphed during crises such as wars, pestilence and natural disasters. A plague swept through Europe between 1347 and 1351, killing an estimated 25 million people. More recently, the flu epidemic of 1918 and 1919 ravaged many parts of the world, exacting a toll of at least 50 million people.
And, we have endured wars, partial meltdowns and economic disasters. While those were far reaching in their impact, eventually they were tamed. The current pandemic is as much far reaching, touching everyone in the world. It is also forcing us to make difficult, life-and-death choices. Because this illness attacks the respiratory system and, in some people, it is not self-limiting, it requires the use of respirators to sustain some patients. In some states there is one respirator for every 50 patients. Medical professionals have to make some difficult and agonizing ethical decisions, requiring the judgment, not to mention the wisdom, of King Solomon. It is sorely missing in some places.
The pandemic is changing relationships and redefining friendships. Through the long evolutionary journey, we have learned that touch biologically reinforces human bonds and strengthens our relationships.
It will take awhile before it is over. It would eventually sputter to a halt even if no measures were taken, but it would leave a trail of human devastation in its wake. The idea appears to be to suppress the number of new cases by practicing the well-known measures of hand washing, social distancing and minimizing contacts outside the home. These measures are effective in stopping the propagation of virus, but once the primary upsurge of cases has been flattened, there is no guarantee it will not surge again and again.
The pity is that without mass screening and testing to separate those people infected from those who are not, we cannot identify those infected or at risk. South Korea, Singapore and a few other countries have been able to identify their infected populations and isolate them. We have no such plan. A few weeks ago we heard that anyone who wanted a test could get one. It was fake news. Even suspected patients are being told to stay home and ride it out unless their lung symptoms dictate admission to a hospital.
While other countries were being proactive, our federal government dithered, minimized the risk and called it a hoax. In doing so, a precious month was lost. By the time the reality set in, the fire was out of control. Trust in leadership is the greatest asset any nation has in times of crises, but instead we are dealing with division and conflict and the blame game. When Sean Hannity becomes the sounding board for the President, scientific evidence ends up in the trash can.
In these uncertain times I am reminded of an Urdu language couplet written by Mirza Ghalib, an Indian poet of the 19th century:
"I ride the winged stallion of life
That gallops through swirling masses
Of wind and fire
When and where this magic steed -
This exuberant, irresistible creature -
Shall come to rest,
I neither know, nor care
Its reins slip from my hands
And its stirrups swing from my feet".
Sometimes the restrictions on movements and calls for social distancing appear suffocating, but remember we are not riding on the deck of a latter-day Titanic. It is indeed a stormy and scary night, but as we all know there is always a bright dawn waiting in the folds of a nightmare.
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