Almost no one thought we would end up in a world like we have in March of 2020. Yet, here we are at the behest of all its absurdity.
Every generation has its milestones and I'll list ours for the sake of discussion; we were the last generation to have incredulous amount of freedom as children, the internet was born, cellular telephones with cameras were a thing and suddenly all of the information we've ever known was instantly at the tip of our fingers. Society had its issues but I would wager that since the industrial revolution, no other generation has seen that level of technological advancement within such a short amount of time. I could be wrong but you will allow me to wax poetic, won't you?
When you think back on accomplishments, the human spirit can have a tendency to rest upon its own induced laurels. The muscle rests in time of peace and leads to atrophy. The wits dull and the belly gets fat. We did not have a significant agent of adversity so our source of evolutionary requirement faded into the background so our collective mindset continues to maintain the status quo. Adversity carves out firm character, requires perseverant innovation and inspires unselfish cooperation. Well, the world decided we needed a lesson in humane fundamentals.
This outbreak has asked us to prioritize the sick and elderly, become aware of one another and the level of vulnerable that life brings. What I have witnessed in the last two weeks, (while the loss of life unfortunately compounds), has been inspirational at the community level. The world is being wired again to learn that the preservation and safe keeping of life is a need that weighs heavier than non-essential wants. I am anxious for when we can expect day-to-day life to return to a version more recently familiar, because we have yet to know the underlying cost.
In the remake of the move 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' I remember being inspired by the scene where the alien Klaatu (played by Keanu Reeves) tells Professor Barnhardt (played by the wonderful John Cleese) that the human race will see its world end for how it has treated the planet. Barnhardt makes the counter point that Klaatu's own race faced a similar situation previously but was given the chance to right the ship, which they obviously did. The line he sites is one of my favorites and roots my love for the word precipice; he tells him "It is only the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we evolve. This is our moment."
Well, how deep is the impact on that quote when read today? There have been significant sources of adversity on the world in my 41 years but none of them are as globally significant as the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps this is our moment and this helps shape humanity on a better path. My hope lies in the idea that these younger generations realize and remember what the world had to do in order to maximize the number of people that survive. As Robert Frost said, we still have "miles to go before (we) sleep" but we will eventually turn this corner. That is inevitable regardless of how difficult this is to comprehend now.
The question that remains is not what will this teach us but what will we remember? How will this shape us? Something is attempting to teach us a lesson, forged in adversity that is requiring us to strip away non-essential things in order to survive. The price is being paid, but what will it purchase? Whatever it is, however this ends, we owe it that much to hang onto what this experience is showing us right now.
Keep your receipts, folks. Stay safe and healthy.
