I wrote this three-months into the lockdown of 2020; it was interesting to see my perspective then and how some things haven’t really changed.
The Virus in the Year of the Rat
It happened – because we all knew somehow that something like this was bound to happen, Bill Gates predicated it and Hollywood featured in several block busters (Nostradamus for some reason missed this one) Its arrival in this county was with not much fanfare, it was quiet at first, if anything it generated a whole lot of humorous memes – mainly to do with toilet paper and hand sanitizers. I too was oblivious to its infectious implications, only when a student of mine asked me how my family in Italy was doing in the midst of this health crisis. This roused me from an inattentive slumber and I started making some Google probes into the heart of this Beast. At first it was distracting – an inordinate amount of people became overnight coronavirus experts with accreditation from WhatsApp University, the fearmongering reached a level of hysteria last seen at the Salem witch trials. Some immediately pressed out their tinfoil hats (heavy-duty foil to account for 5G transmission), whilst others chopped down these same masts in the believe that coronavirus was directly attributed to 5G. Dogs were abandoned to shelters (they were supposedly carriers), toilet paper as mentioned earlier became a sought-after item. The apocalypse sects donned their camo gear, smeared on the war paint and packed the shopping aisles with trolleys full of panic purchases.
(When this pandemic draws to level of normalcy and the new normal takes shape, I wonder if house party themes could include fantasy dress ups such as Tinfoil hats, haute couture dresses made from triple ply toilet paper, daytime pyjamas. Drinks could be served in hand sanitizer dispensers, Corona beer can make its comeback (you did nothing wrong) and music can feature the likes of Gloria Gaynor – I will survive, Bee Gees – Staying Alive... you know the list; you spend several weeks in lockdown thinking about it!)
We have become so focused on this; the smallest of beings that has circulated our existence since the dawn of time, it’s not even alive! its mere survival depends on animals and humans to transport it. It has alien-like antennas (as seen on the Jetsons comic features) or to be more scientific; keys that unlock the vault to latch itself unto it’s host’s DNA – making it the ultimate vampire.
My response to this has intrigued me, being isolated on my own, my smart phone has become both my source of information (mainly fake and negative) and my link to the outside world. I feel as if I am adrift on a spacecraft in some far-flung galaxy, drifting aimlessly towards some calamitous apocalypse. But it isn’t so. It fascinates me none the less to see our response – as I said when this went down – we are going to learn a lot about ourselves.