“Death destroys a man; the idea of Death saves him.” (EM Forster, Howard’s End)
An alien virus (“the Chinese virus”) has unexpectedly appeared. It seems to have appeared from nowhere, but in truth it is only the latest example of Life’s boundless capacity for variation and novelty – the magic of being on Planet Earth. COVID-19 reminds us that our bodies are in perpetual competition with the environment: from birth to death, only a marvelous balance of processes allows us to stay healthy.
In the First World we are unfamiliar with deadly infectious diseases – we imagine we should always avoid death by infection. Now no longer free to delude ourselves, we are called psychologically to confront loss of health and loss of control. And spiritually, we are challenged to decide: If we are not alone in this confrontation, but connected to others, who are “the others”?
Our community is made up of varying types of unfairness and inequality. Are they reasons to feel solidarity or separation? Do we identify and support only those we know personally, or does our imagination and concern extend to larger circles? With this pandemic, we see that health cannot be taken for granted. Who is “our neighbor”? Does the “other” with COVID-19 deserve the same treatment as those we love?
Many may have heard the parable of the “The Tale of Two Wolves” (a cultural appropriation?) that goes something as follows:
An old Cherokee told his grandson,
“My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies,
false pride, superiority, and ego.”
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope,
humility, kindness, empathy,
generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”
The grandson thought about it, and asked,
“Which wolf wins?”
The old man simply replied, “The one you feed.”