The world has always known epidemic. Millions of people have suffered from viruses and bacteria long before COVID-19. Millions of people have fallen ill and millions of people have died. COVID is no exception. Thousands of people have fallen ill and thousands of people have died. There will be many more.
COVID was as unlikely as the Titanic. Before Titanic was even a blueprint, there was The Industrial Revolution and with it unprecedented mechanical technology. Titanic was the result. Foolishly, people believed the sinkable had become unsinkable. Humankind was invincible.
Nature refused to be quelled. Pollution and poison were unprecedented in the wake of capitalist profit. In tragic hindsight, we realized the ship that couldn’t sink was “made of iron, sir. I assure you she can.” Still we dared to ignore protocol regarding life rafts . It was all an inconvenient truth so silenced it.
April 14 1912, the Titanic crossed the ocean, grazed an iceberg and careened to the bottom of the Atlantic, drowning passengers, along with our invincibility. The inconvenient truth people had spent years ignoring tore into us at record speed. Lives were lost and with it, arrogance. The world would never be the same. So much for first class seating, darling.
But like the Carpathia, a glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon. We admitted our failings, we learned. We studied the blueprint, acknowledged our mistakes and vowed not to repeat them. For all her loss that dreadful night, we learned Titanic had heroes. Titanic had life boats. Titanic had survivors. Of course no Hepburn girl wants to be seen on a cargo ship but desperate times call for desperate measures, oui?
Travel forward into the 21st Century. Mechanical engineering merged with computer technology. We sailed greedily ahead at record speed in our technological quest for economic global growth. We became invincible again. Our arrogance returned.
Nature refused to be quelled. Pollution and poison were unprecedented, the Ozone Layer protested loudly. Viruses propogated more rapidly than ever in regions with warmer climates. “Global warming” became an inconvenient truth so we silenced it. We hit our global iceberg, COVID-19 and sank rapidly.
On the global horizon however there is a glimmer of hope. Worldwide response to COVID has been as swift and far-reaching as the virus itself. We can’t admit our part in this disaster however it’s far too soon. For now, government focus is where it should be, on our survival. And ensuring there are enough curling irons and Prada shoes to go around of course.
Like Titanic, COVID has heroes. COVID has life boats. COVID has survivors. We’re adrift in this ocean together and in spite of the social distance between people there appears to be plenty of room in the boats for everyone.
We have a long voyage ahead. Resistance to change and argument against inconvenient truths aren’t over. We’re studying the blueprint yet this time, we aren’t accepting the lessons. We’re arguing not about where we went wrong but whether we went wrong.
Governments and corporate enterprise stubbornly point a finger at Nature, as if she is to blame. Yet the undeniable truth is that COVID is the result of destruction, corporate greed and lax laws. COVID originated in Wuhan’s unregulated wild animal market. But there is too much worldwide profit at stake yet to point a satin-gloved finger at ourselves.
In a staggering display of perversity, our self-destruction serves as entertainment. We celebrate it. Australia’s Blue Star Line is contructing the Titanic II, offering passengers an “authentic Titanic experience” with the tragedy. I wouldn’t set food on the Titanic II if Blue Star Line accommodated me first class. There’s a fine line between luxury and vulgarity, darling. (To read an article about the Blue Line “authentic Titanic experience” click here)
We’re repeating our mistakes and we aren’t learning as many lessons as before. One timeless lesson however is indisputable.
The world will never be the same.
The Iconic Epidemic 