By Tristan Marajh
Toronto, ON
Preparedness only comes in retrospect, after hundreds of thousands have already died. But at least there is that: preparedness.
Preparedness for the next one.
But there is another one already. Not the next one. The other one.
And many of us are not prepared.
It has been with us, in us — every single one of us — since we deemed ourselves Homo sapiens; the term, Latin, implying “wise”. And yet we are not.
But we are intelligent.
Measures were enacted. Nations mobilized to immobilize. Medicines are developed.
Yes, we are intelligent.
Our intelligence has not combatted that other illness.
The other one did not come through animals. Animals are immune to it. It is our disease: our dis-ease. Our restlessness, boredom, our avoidance of aloneness. As we hunker down and lay low, we face that one disease from which we cannot quarantine: ourselves.
We recognized the symptoms. We humorously complained about it in chat apps; we shared memes. We treated it with treats: Netflix, Zoom-ing, takeout and baking; now with restaurants, shopping malls — even workplaces — as these slowly reopen.
We treated ourselves and so, we never treated our selves.
The other pandemic
Copyright © Tristan Marajh, 2020