The Pandemic Will Change Everything

The pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus once famously wrote, “Change is the only constant in life.” Sometimes it is slow and gradual. Sometimes it comes in the most fleeting of moments…in the blink of an eye. Regardless of how it comes, we all shall be changed. That said, the pandemic will change everything. Famed futurist Alvin Toffler noted, “If we do not learn from history, we shall be compelled to relive it. True. But if we do not change the future, we shall be compelled to endure it. And that could be worse.”…

 

Coronavirus different from other disasters

Coping with the coronavirus depends on an individual’s past experience with crises and disasters, but there is a major difference. Michael White, Xavier University professor and jazz clarinetist, told The New Orleans Advocate he thought Hurricane Katrina would be the worst disaster he would see in his lifetime, but the coronavirus pandemic seems like the “Twilight Zone.”

“The Twilight Zone” was a television show (1959-1964) described as a strange mix of horror, science fiction, drama, comedy and superstition…

 

Pandemic hurts ability of nations to face natural disasters

Before New Zealand began its four-week lockdown to fight the coronavirus, a reporter asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern what would happen if an earthquake struck while everybody was sequestered in their homes.

“Why on earth would your mind go there?” Ardern quipped back. Every year, the world contends with devastating typhoons, wildfires, tsunamis and earthquakes. The dynamic doesn’t change just because the globe also happens to be fighting a pandemic. What has changed for the worse, however, is the ability of nations to prepare for and respond to natural disasters. Not only that, but experts also fear the usual protocols for coping with the aftermath of such disasters could further spread the virus, compounding the death toll from both…