Whitley Strieber offers a new journal entry in response to the swelling call among commentator and politicians in many countries to ignore COVD-19 and put their populations back to work before their economies suffer irreversible damage. It is clear for example, in the US, that the longer the lockdown continues, the more likely it is that the country will end up in a situation worse than the great depression. But if we end it too soon, the chaos caused by the rapid spread of the virus is likely to make matters even worse, and within a matter of months.
Every country in the world, from the US to China and India to Germany, Japan and all the others, faces this same dilemma: do we accept economic catastrophe in order to avert general contagion, or do we accept general contagion in order to avert economic catastrophe.
This is probably the most serious collective problem that the human species has faced in remembered history. To solve it, we will need wisdom and social and political co-ordination unlike anything we have known before.
In his new journal, Whitley takes the measure of the problem and suggests some directions. To read it, click here.
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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is forming a House subcommittee to oversee the US Federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are hints from some Republicans that it could become a bi-partisan group. At this time, she does not support Adam Schiff’s proposal for a 9/11-style Congressional commission on that subject. Link has more of her comments:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/pelosi-forming-house-committee-investigate-coronavirus-outbreak-n1175026
The more COVID-19 propagates, the more likely it is to mutate into something even more deadly. If the death rate doubles or triples, without containment, there won’t be much of an economy to salvage. It might be a struggle to maintain civilization. Surviving this is paramount. Salvaging the economy would be a bonus.
Assuming civilization continues, we know that we have to do something about using up Earth’s resources and causing climate change, ubiquitous plastic pollution, and mass extinction. We have known for some time that we have to change our economic models from fairy tales of humans having dominion over infinite resources to sustainable usage of resources conducted in harmony with nature. Perhaps we can apply some lessons learned these days to future efforts to decrease consumption and destruction, assuming, once again, that civilization continues after COVID-19 and it’s descendants do their damage.
and it will be upon them catching them unawares???
HG