When We All Want Something To Go Away — Economic Slowdown & The Viruses
Post-Covid Economic Trauma, Monkeypox, And Viruses
You all know how the markets have been, it's a blood bath everywhere.
The digital asset market and the world’s economy have swung in the bear flow.
According to World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report. “Global growth is expected to decelerate 4.1 percent in 2022 and 3.2 percent in 2023.”
And let me break it to you. The degrowth in 2021 has been on the lines of what this report has predicted.
In case you missed it, the Asian country Sri Lanka is already bankrupt. And a lot of its natives are now living without electricity and fuel.
Most of it is because of Covid 19, which hasn’t stopped spreading either. New cases of the omicron variant are still being reported all over the world.
Is it a sign of an economic slowdown? Or the crisis is already here and we are living through it.
Worse, cases of this new virus — monkeypox — are being reported in the news every day.
Thank god, it’s not as frightening.
It is contagious though. But most cases found are in the males who came in close contact with a male. Remember, it is not classified as STD. And for god’s sake, it is not a gay disease. It can transmit to anyone if he/she comes in close intimate contact with someone who has it.
This disease DNAed into humans through animals. The ones with lesions or body infections. And human transmission is a rare and recent progression. But it is not like Covid, it is not airborne. You can not get infected unless you touch the victim’s skin or clothes. And it is not fatal.
Bill Gates said this half a decade ago. About how a new virus keeps greeting us every few years. Because deforestation has reached an extent that humans have thoroughly intermingled with the animal environment.
“The scientists have discovered it. We know it” he said. And he mentioned the possibility that a mass outbreak might be on the verge. In a Ted Talk in 2015.
Here’s is a timeline showing major virus outbreaks
- 541–542: Plague of Justinian
- 1346–1350: The Black Death
- 1545–1548: Cocoliztli
- 1899–1923: Sixth cholera pandemic
- 1918–1920: Spanish flu (H1N1)
- 1957–1958: Asian flu (H2N2)
- 1968–1969: Hong Kong flu
- 1981–2022: AIDS
- 2004–2005: Avian flu (H5N1)
- 2009–2010: Swine flu (H1N1)
- 2014–2015: Ebola
- 2020: COVID-19
But Covid has made the history. Everyone must have felt the wrath of Cupid around them. It showed us the times we could never imagine and would never forget.
A glance at the list above confirms that we have neglected the evidence. By failing to prepare for the next unknown infectious outbreak. Not even the most developed countries were ready. Every hand suffered some burns in the firepit.
And we still aren’t trying to upscale our efforts for the next.
We can remain brimmed with optimism. And I wish nothing of that sort happens ever again. But history is telling us a different story.
Most developing countries are still dealing with the leftovers. While the rest of the world is busy in winning over the new variants. And maybe once the Covid gets eliminated, we might see some steps in that direction.
This epidemic also made me realize that no such virus can be the end of us.
As it is a pain we all go through together. It breeds more sympathy and compassion in us towards other humans. Irrespective of their caste, creed, race, religion, sex, and place of origin.
Never in my life have I seen so many people stretching their pockets and means beyond themselves to help others. And the people working in life support have been the epitome of courage and divine service.
Nothing can defeat us when our energies operate at this level of unity. When we all want something to go away.
It will. It will have to.
Whether it is an economic slowdown or a pandemic.
We all just need to be more helpful and empathetic towards fellow humans. And learn to give selflessly during turbulent times in our personal capacity. We need to step ahead and work in harmony.
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