Pandemic, Epidemic, or Crisis, by whatever name, the current situation is untenable. We have been told the SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) virus has caused a Pandemic. I have preferred to call it a crisis. I have refrained from calling it a pandemic simply because I do not believe the cause for concern over the virus warrants it being called a Pandemic. Here is some of my reasoning. Only 0.35% of the world population has been infected with the virus since it was first encountered. Does that sound like a pandemic? Only 0.01% of the world population has died with/from the virus since it was first discovered. Does that sound like a pandemic? In 2017, 0.74% of the population died from all possible causes.
The Spanish flu, also known as the 1918 flu pandemic, was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. Lasting from February 1918 to April 1920, it infected 500 million people–about a third of the world's population at the time–in four successive waves. The death toll is typically estimated to have been somewhere between 17 million and 50 million, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.
wikipedia.org
Meanwhile, 70.66% of those found to be infected with the virus responsible for COVID-19 have recovered. Those who still find themselves infected are very likely also to recover since fewer than 10% of those currently infected are considered to be in serious or critical condition.
Nonetheless, the media is full of horror stories creating fear and panic in the population. No one wants to become ill, be it from COVID-19, heart disease, cancer, or any other disease. And we all feel compassion for those who have lost a loved one under any circumstance. However, in any crisis, we must examine the consequences of the crisis, as well as our actions to combat the crisis.
In particular, it is our responsibility to ensure we do everything in our power to preserve a future for the very young. This has been my biggest concern throughout this crisis. As can be seen from the infographic at the top of the page, there have been significant and continuing impacts on education. Just look at the effects cited in the top half of the infographic. And these do not include the effects on the mental health of the children. How can we expect our children to be prepared to confront the world under these conditions? No, we cannot. Instead, we are leaving our children ripe and open to manipulation by those in power.
Our children must learn critical thinking skills, something rarely taught even before the crisis. Instead, they are taught to follow the crowd, avoid any negative feelings they may have, or arise in their daily lives. They are taught God is dead and science reigns supreme. Follow the science our leaders say almost every day. But they do not admit that even science is in constant change. What was considered proven science a hundred years ago has warped and transitioned over time as new theories evolve and take hold. However, even theories are not proven science, or they would not be called theories but laws and axioms.
Let us not fall prey to this crisis and allow it to impose a new normal on our previously ordered and routine lives. These will change as they always have, but it is up to us to preserve the good passed on to us by our parents and grandparents. Preserve respect for others, respect for property, respect for good work ethics, respect for ideas, and respect for a way of life that has held us in good stead since the founding of this nation.