As many of you, I go to bed each night totally depressed with the day’s news ringing in my ears. Over two million cases of the Covid 19 infection and more than 160,000 deaths worldwide. Vital medical supplies in short supply. The big fool and his minions spouting inane comments and politicizing the epidemic in an attempt to get him re-elected. Inaccurate statements: claiming that the drug hydroxychloroquine is safe and effective to treat the virus; that we can get back to normal without widespread testing; that the World Health Organization is responsible for the pandemic, etc., etc. Then there are the morons who refuse to stay at home, encouraged by Trump to exert their rights to “liberty”. There is clamoring to open the churches and synagogues – what happened to God helps those who help themselves? (All of this may actually be a good thing – if Darwin is right, this could lead to an increase in the intellectual gene pool. It could also reduce the number of Republican voters). Meanwhile, everyday life is chaotic: simple items such as toilet paper and other items missing from grocery shelves. The very act of shopping as complicated as a jungle safari. No gloves, no masks, no admission to the store. Once in the store, one is reminded of a large operating room. Death and calamity reign.
OK, now for the good news. I woke up a few days ago, assuming this would be a day long depression, writing out my list for the liquor stores (which are, thank God, open), looking for my lost shaker of Prozac. However, I went outside (to feed the crows) and lo and behold, there was birdsong everywhere. When I examined the birdhouses we put up, some of them were occupied – the summer residents returning. There were all sorts of flowers and trees blooming – yellow, blue, pink. (I don’t know their names – despite Deborah’s best efforts, I can’t remember them). Later that evening, about half dozen deer appeared. They were not at all timid (hunting season is over) and appeared almost as glad to see us as we were to see them.
It occurred to me that Nature was not at all concerned about the epidemic or, for that matter, about politics, the economy, or anything else that inflicts us humans. Life in the natural world will go on. Spring has come, the flowers will bloom, birds will nest, and wildlife will flourish. Indeed, the fact that virus has reduced traffic, closed down factories and even reduced the population may be something Nature applauds. After all, these things could reduce climate change, which ultimately will be more harmful to more people than the virus and is not being addressed in a meaningful way by humans. The epidemic has produced cleaner air and reduced pollution in a relatively efficient way. Those familiar with Thomas Malthus’s theory know that he predicted that overpopulation would be controlled by starvation, war and disease. We have an abundance of the first two already, now maybe we need the last. Perhaps Nature is seeking to bring some order to the planet – earthquakes, tornadoes, violent storms, along with Covid 19 might just accomplish that. I do know that whatever happens in the next year or two – whether the epidemic gets worse, whether we go through a great depression, even whether (God forbid) Donald Trump gets reelected, the planet will continue to spin on its axis, the birds will continue to sing and the flowers (whatever they’re called) will continue to bloom. So eat, drink, be merry and light up a joint – life goes on. We have to remember, we’re all in this together.
By Ted Jochsberger
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