Dear Editor,
Yes. Viruses change. That’s what all life does. It should
not be news that “the virus is mutating” (Washington Post editorial “A wake-up call for
the world” Dec. 22, 2020). A new strain of the coronavirus was inevitable
and predictable given the laws of nature – if…and that’s a huge if… one
believes in the science of evolution.
This would be extremely helpful in waging effective defenses against many
threats. Some genetic changes can even
be prevented - or anticipated thus preventing us from being sucker punched by another.
And that is why the Wuhan virus lab, and even some biosecurity
labs here in the US are mucking around with viruses that are not yet a
threat. And that is why there was the possibility that
the “Chinese virus” may have originated from a lab. But in reality…that would have been monstrously
foolish for the Chinese government to have released it intentionally. And, anyone
who hypothesizes this silly idea obviously doesn’t know that the US actually
created the vaccine we are now distributed in mass in the US - one month before the first Covid19 death in
the US was recorded. WHAT? Yes. This
is factual. China shared the viruses genetic
code as soon as they had it in early January.
Our scientists used it to rapidly create the vaccine, which required 9
months of testing for safe distribution.
The lessons learned from this brief bio lesson and Covid19 history
are:
#1. Trust nature’s
living things to do what they have done for billions of years. They adapt fast enough to a changing
environment or they perish.
#2 Trust science to find the best answer fastest -
if unimpeded by ignorant humans, intentional misleading news, bad laws, lack of
political will, or insufficient budgets.
#3. Viruses don’t care
about geographic borders, political parties or military/economic power. They are just looking for a thriving piece of
warm meat to continue their life cycle. These
electron microscopic pouches of life are designed by the threads of DNA or RNA code
twisted within them. The code (different
in every life form) is read by other chemicals (enzymes) floating in their
pouch – eventually creating more projectiles just like it…and sometimes
slightly mutated. Again, these tiny packets
of information are immune to map lines, political ideologies, wealth, or
military fire power.
#4. To defeat them, and
keep defeating them, we must first understand them. Relying on guesses, political committees, or prayers
are probably not going to work as well as the scientific method.
#5. Adequate political foresight in the form of government
investments in research and development - will save more lives than building
new weapons systems, another government bureaucracy, better banks, or beautiful
churches. Especially investments in preventing
viral evolution by limiting three basic factors. A) toxic waste in the environment B) exposure
to wild animals, and C) unjust political principles that create enemies who will
inevitably use bioweapons (which today is increasingly anyone seeking to do so)
if all else fails to achieve their goal.
#6. Preparing for the
inevitable consequences of viruses that we may not prevent will save mountains
of money in the long run. And lives.
#7. Ignoring these
lessons is typical of past human behavior.
And this will continue to be catastrophic in threatening cherished
freedoms, vital security links, and prosperity.
And possibly not getting re-elected.
It is more than interesting that now, in 2020, parallel to
this pandemic is the greatest hack in US cyber security history.
Its origin was a cyber virus. Also a tiny bit of information that infected one
or more commuters and then went viral penetrating deep into the nervous system
of some 18,000 government agencies and private company’s around the world – including
the State, Treasury, and Commerce departments; the Department of Homeland Security,
NIH; and possibility even the Los Alamos National Laboratory and parts of the Pentagon.
This was an intentional infection. Again, tiny packets of information,
impossible to see, yet profoundly powerful.
Given our national and economic dependence on these electronic systems
for every aspect of our nation’s health and national security, it would be wise
to follow the lessons learned above.
Especially, #7.
Last and most troublesome is the existential threat that exists
from both of these viral threats merging. The the hacking of our minds by
Social Media algorithms. Memes are much
like genes. If you have not yet seen “the
Social Dilemma” documentary…it is a must.
But don’t believe the conclusion where the star of the documentary suggests
that tweaking the technology can solve this problem. The problem is we don’t change.
Tweaking technology might work with nature’s bio threats. But human engineered bio and cyber threats will require a transformational change in global governance and an evolutionary change in human minds. Recognizing our global irreversible connectedness and interdependence -- and returning our minds to it’s original purpose of solving problems…instead of creating them.
We create problems by arrogantly basing human
laws on creative economic, political, religious and cultural ideas. Human laws that ignore the Laws of Nature
and Nature’s God. The laws of nature should
be obvious. Now, so should the laws of Nature’s
God, especially the idea about ‘do unto others’. And the biblical story of the Good Samaritan!
Competition between nations will not end well with 1) the evolution
of weaponry, 2) a lack of change in our thinking, and 3) our ‘independent’ government
systems that put national sovereignty above human sovereignty (our freedom,
rights and security). Life on this globe
in space is interdependent on everything.
And everything is changing…except us.
No good will come from more inevitable mutations of the
Covid-19 virus and the exponential change in technology - as they collide with
the static forms of government. Add to
this inevitable wreck the human mind’s creative capacity to think anything, and
then believe it, then defend that belief to the death, and even go so far as to
kill for it (see nationalism, religion, and skin color ideologies).
Things change. Can
we?
