PROPERTY & INVESTMENT
06 C O V I D - 1 9
Symptoms vs causes – the Gaia Principle
We are united because we have a common enemy – SARS-CoV-2 . But , really , how true is that ? Let ’ s assume the Gaia Principle is valid because , quite honestly , it seems pretty credible . In a nutshell , the Gaia Principle states that the earth is a living entity , and that the atmosphere , all the rocks , the sand , the water , the plants , the bugs and the humans are a part of it in the same way our hair , teeth , organs and associated microscopic life forms ( gut flora , etc .) are a part of us as humans . Of course , noone has proved this , which is why it ’ s also called the Gaia Hypothesis , but it holds up as a thought experiment .
So , if the earth is a living entity , and all the rocks , plants animals , etc . have a counterpart in the various components of the human body , then – perhaps – we are the earth ’ s Coronavirus . If we compare the lifespan of the planet to the lifespan of a long-lived human ( one of those bicycle-riding , wine-slugging centenarian farmers of the Blue Zones ), we humans arrived on the planet a year or two after the Blue Zoner ’ s 100th birthday . And perhaps global climate change is the fever Gaia is employing to finally rid itself of this pernicious pathogen – and SARS-CoV-2 is one more weapon in the earth ’ s immune system . Perhaps , like other unsuccessful pathogens that kill their victims so quickly that they don ’ t have time to pass on the disease , we humans are so irreparably harming our host that we are accelerating our own demise .
But are we addressing the real risks ?
Let ’ s face it – we are taking note of the virus . We ’ re taking it seriously , and we are implementing pretty darn extreme measures to combat it . But that ’ s just it . We are still in WWII mode . If guns don ’ t work , use tanks ; if tanks don ’ t work , use bombs ; if bombs don ’ t work , use nukes . If we extend that to the First World War , we can start with horses and swords , and , if we extend it to the Freedom Struggle , we can end with necklaces . Are you seeing a pattern here ?
And , as we have done in every war or resistance in history , we are all making sacrifices – well , most of us . We ’ ve changed the way we do things – we gave up our Pilates classes and coffee klatches , for goodness ’ sake ! And even walking the dog !
Not without whingeing , of course , but we ’ re putting a brave face on it , and we ’ re trying to come up with creative ways of dealing with lockdown . Because we believe that , with some discipline , some sacrifices , and a bit of luck , this is all going to blow over , and life will go back to normal in a few months . Does the term ‘ Home before Christmas ’ ring any bells ? It was said about WWI , and it was said about WWII , but Reagan said it ‘ best ’ in October 1965 : ‘ It ’ s silly talking about how many years we will have to spend in the jungles of Vietnam when we could pave the whole country and put parking stripes on it , and still be home by Christmas .’
So , what is the real risk of COVID-19 ? Yes , the risk of becoming infected , and the risk of dying from that infection , is serious . But possibly more serious is the unintended fallout from the actions many people have taken , and are still taking – the stockpiling , the price gouging , the xenophobia , the fear of ‘ the other ’ when we should be standing together .
But , whatever happens , the pandemic will end – certainly not this month , probably not next month . Maybe this year , maybe next year , but it will end .
And when it ’ s all over ?
To continue the metaphor of COVID-19 being the Millennials ’ and Zs ’ WWII , what will be the aftermath ? What did our grandparents and parents do after WWII ?
World War II stimulated and fuelled a technological acceleration rivalled only by the harnessing of fire , the invention of the wheel , and the First Industrial Revolution . And , once the war was over , all those technological ‘ swords ’ were beaten into ‘ ploughshares ’ that transformed the lives and lifestyles of a few people , and – more importantly – irrevocably changed the expectations of much of the human race . In South Africa , apartheid blossomed and fuelled a lifestyle for white people that was remarkably like the one ( mostly white ) returning veterans built in the USA ; they came back