Having lived through a hundred disasters, the current crisis attacking the health and well-being of the world is a bit new.
It has happened before and long before we were born. The horrifying medieval event known as the Black Plague arrived in Europe in the 1300s via a group of ships carrying infected, dead and dying sailors.
There was no cure, no known medicine, and limited ways in which to communicate the dangers.
The plague was much worse than the current coronavirus crisis. A person could go to bed at night, feeling quite healthy and be found dead in the morning. It was quick, incredibly contagious and no treatment was in sight for hundreds of years.
Before it ran its course, the Black Plague had killed over 20 million Europeans, about a third of the existing population.
While citizens tried everything to escape this sinister and sudden affliction, there were few safe places. The plague infected not only humans, it also spread into the food chain, infecting cows, sheep, chickens, goats and pigs.
There have been pandemics throughout history of the planet and probably none that was so deadly as the Black Plague. It affected nearly every major continent reducing the estimated population of the earth from 450 million to 350 million in a few short years.
While we have been relatively free from worldwide disease in recent decades, there has been the sudden appearance and outbreak of numerous contagious bugs during our lifetime. The Ebola virus, SARS, influenza and AIDS are just a few of the hundreds of infections creating fear, panic and death.
What our administration is doing is inconvenient. Considering the contagious nature of the coronavirus, it is the safest option available. The shutdown of economic activity is a temporary blow to our way of life. It must make us more appreciative of what we have had and will, in time, have again.
Perhaps this event will make us more accepting, more objective and more thankful. Thankful that in the middle of a pandemic, we are still here, and once again made aware that life is fragile, liberty is earned, money is only a commodity, and loved ones and friends are a gift from the Creator.
The Universe brings us reminders on occasion to restore our recognition of what is the real value of this short experience we call life.
May you be safe, healthy and thankful.
