Darwin once postulated ours would be a race for the survival
of the fittest. It was early February 2020 when I told my husband that I felt Covid-19 was a
survival of the smartest, as well as the brave souls who cared for the ill.
Those who heeded warnings, took precautions, sheltered in their homes, kept
their families close and healthy, cleaned their groceries like you would
sterilize an operating room, sneezed and coughed in your elbow, washed your
hands thoroughly as if you were a surgeon going to replace the heart of your
child, rested when they had the sniffles, or rested when you were simply tired, they would survive this pandemic of epic proportions.
I personally took naps for the first time in my 48 years on the planet. I
didn’t go for a run because I have asthma. I stopped getting a massage. I
stopped going shopping for needless material items. We bought only what our
little family needed online. Purchased only the essentials so that others would be
able to meet their needs. We ran out of toilet paper, we became creative in our
wiping process. #covid19hacks #covid19bidet.
My young daughter realized that once upon a time humans
did not have toilet paper. She learned about other luxuries which she thought
were essential and realized they were not.
Love of one another. Love for fellow
human beings. Love for animals. Love for bees and flowers. This was essential.
Covid 19 did exactly what we thought it would do - it wiped
out half of the population. It is now February 2022, world population a year
ago topped at 3.1 billion. Today there are 4.8 billion – the Covid Baby Boom
was inevitable when families were sheltering in their homes, almost all huddled together in the world produced another child.
Covid-19 brought humans to their knees
financially yet the aftermath of families sheltering together brought them more
love than money could ever buy. Around the world families cooked together, gardened,
threw their dog a ball, took care of their neighbors while keeping 10 + feet
away, had neighborhood driveway BBQ parties, waved to people walking on the
other side of the street, gave people space, learned to live in silence, to bake artisan bread, to be creative. Humans zoomed while they meditated, did yoga, read books, cleaned and so much more. Children's creativity skyrocketed. My daughter and a friend created the GREAT ESCAPE ZOOM RACE: who will clean their room the fastest? Writers wrote novels. We had zoom dinner
parties with family and friends around the world. We made new friends. A year in, everyone only bought local; local was all we had. Humans rediscovered new careers, supported one another. Money was no longer needed, we bartered, we survived. We felt for our fellow humans like never before in the existence of life
as we knew it.
We had our geniuses back. Tech (and children) began using their 3D printers to
make masks, protective gear and manufacturers the world over made gloves for billions of humans. Every human, every
animal, every mammal was exposed to Covid-19. It quickly became a cyclical
pandemic as half the earth went into winter, the other half of the globe came
out of their homes, only to see Covid-19 return to them the following season.
Of course we found a vaccine which was not a cure. Unlike the flu,
Covid-19 had seven deadly strains that few could have ever foreseen. Some had
warned us. Did we listen?
One of the better disruptions to come out of the horrific pandemic
of 2019 was the disruption of traditional schooling that had needed a change since
the 1940s! Innovative, forward thinking humans, educators,
parents, children, and countless others realized decades ago change was needed
on a global scale. 2020 was first time Education as we knew it was forced to
deal with change. Some innovative
thinkers thought outside the box we were contained within and broke free. We
created a system that integrated the very best ways in which children learn –
when they explore for themselves – when they use their own brain – when they
are asked intriguing questions which they can choose to solve – when children
are trusted with their own collaborative efforts to lead themselves in their
learning. Teachers should not teach, they should guide when guidance is asked
for by the learners. In this day and age we know that not one person knows
everything thus why should they be capable of teaching others? The innovative
realized it was a broken global school system yet piecing together the best
strategies from the globe could create a new way of global diverse inquiry
based student led learning that was free and accessible for all. The Gates
Foundation had put lap tops in the hands of every child aged three plus and
Elon Musks’ satellites which litter the night sky has given free internet to
every crevice of the globe.
I like to believe that when humans first walked the earth, they helped one another. Our species, in order to have survived definitely
needed the fittest. We also needed the smartest. The myth that we only use 10% of our brain,
is just that, a myth. It still has never been scientifically proven since we
currently know so little about the human brain. I call on humans to use their
brains and talk to your family, zoom with your friends, come up with solutions
on how we may all help one another. I believe our continued survival depends on this.
What I also know is that humans will stay on our planet earth
for as long as we can all be one species, one race who takes care of one
another, not merely our local neighbors but those we do not know, those we
cannot communicate with, those who are not like us. They are the humans we
must become friends with if we as a species wish to survive. No borders, no
races, just humans on earth. This is not only a lesson I have known about
peace, it is a lesson I have learned about survival.
