Coronavirus

We live in the age of rampant consumerism, abundant food, and amazing opportunities, and yet why so much discontent? Often we are bombarded by advertisements peddling dissatisfaction, greed, and easy solutions. This proven, time tested formula sucks in the gullible, like a voracious industrial Hoover. If only it was that easy!

Experts have long been warning about the dangers of a global pandemic. Ebola has a fatality rate of 90% and was only just contained in West Africa in 2014. But the world kept on spinning, blissfully oblivious to what might have been. And now we have corona virus, allegedly started in a fish market in China. Believe that, if you want too! Thankfully, this virus is nowhere near as bad as Ebola, however unpleasant. Humanity will emerge victorious, if not a little bloodied from the carnage, but will things ever be the same again?

Cheap air travel is a privilege that should be hugely appreciated and not taken for granted. As a man in my mid 50’s I didn’t fly until I was 20, and it took me months to save up for it. Few worry about food, unless they’re deprived of it for 24-hours, and then it becomes all consuming. Therefore, next time you visit a huge supermarket full of delicious food from all over the world, be grateful. A millionaire would willingly give it all away for a bottle of water, if he or she was ever thirsty enough. Think about that next time you turn the tap on, and are welcomed by a gush of clean water. And when somebody seems to be having a much better life than you on either Face-book or Instagram, they’re probably not. Happiness finds us when we are true to ourselves, regardless of most circumstances.

Not long ago London was blitzed by the Luftwaffe, and millions of young men died in the carnage of World War 1. Nowadays, satiated adults fight for toilet rolls in supermarkets! Now call me old fashioned, but isn’t this just a tad embarrassing?  Personally speaking, I associate toilet paper with one of life’s less palatable occupations, and certainly not worth getting a black eye over. If people are products of their society, then what does this say about society? Thankfully, the silent majority don’t behave like this, but you get my point! And so, what are the lessons of coronavirus? Humanity is like a blind man stumbling aimlessly along   a precarious cliff edge, blissfully oblivious to imminent danger. And without God, morality is reduced to mere matter of taste, with nowhere to turn during challenging times.