COVID-19
Last week, I wrote I about a conference panel session I was prepping for in April. This week, global pandemic struck, and I learned that circumstances will keep me from attending. I wanted to dedicate this weeks entry to something I wrote in a journal about this weird historical moment we are experiencing.
Historical perspective remains one of the humans species most useful traits. While it is inherently flawed and biased, some understanding and respect for it provides a source of ongoing (and much needed) perspective. Simply put, historical perspective and historical humility makes us better people.
As of this moment, COVID-19 is raging. It made the zoological jump from bats (maybe?) to humans in China in late 2019. Owing to the success of our species in completely occupying all parts of the planet, this virus had found a foothold and started it's weird alien work.
This week, the World Health Organization declared it a global pandemic. The global economy has responded by entering a freefall, and any hope or trust in effective government response on the American side seems to lessen by the day.
Sitting here, getting depressed about all of this, it strikes me that history might be our best teacher in this hard moment. In spite of its flaws, history remains the best instructor in telling us that while current times are hard, ALL human times are hard.
In this current moment of existence an inordinate amount of time is spent documenting the self and its ultimately insubstantial moments. I am as guilty of this as the next smart ape (I blame our DNA and clever brains). That said, it doesn't change the fact that EVERY human generation has been forced to wade its way through the murky bullshit of its particular historical moment.
I have no idea of what tomorrow will bring. This is nothing to say of next week, month, year, etc. What I do know is that this is the moment we are in, and it is one that might be brighter and better if we understand and embrace our shared past and the hard fought effort and wisdom it took to get all of us to this weird/scary/absurd/wonderful moment.
We occupy a brief, perfect space of being alive (and cognizant of the past), at the same moment we are looking forward and (hopefully) taking that knowledge to cooperate with each other and constructively map out a better future. Let's live up to this rare historical moment we have been given and show future generations what it means to be a top-notch human being.