The Wonders That Will Unfold

Foster City lagoon and beach on Sunday, March 22nd.

The sign and where it sits is bedraggled,
but it's not wrong.

A favorite setting in dystopian movies shows humanity, or maybe just civilization, wiped out by plague, aliens, nuclear war, global warming, zombies, or any number of possible causes. These stories often start years after the cataclysm; once gleaming cities are crumbling, empty of living things except for the rats who somehow are finding something to eat.

Less than one week after the coronavirus forced everyone indoors for most of the day,  the physical world actually looks pretty good: no crowds, no noise, and a lot of beauty.

After the virus is controlled with most of us not getting sick and, it is hoped, not ruined financially, there will be a lot of reassessment:

‘Mommy, I like coronavirus because I get to spend time with you,” a patient of mine, a lawyer, quoted her son as saying. With schools closed, social events postponed and workplaces empty, usually busy professionals find themselves at home baking cookies, playing games, watching movies and doing arts and crafts to keep their children occupied. Some are surprised to find they enjoy it.

As anxiety and fear settle over the world, there’s a silver lining to this pandemic. In a self-occupied world, the coronavirus is making people reassess their priorities and values.

I do have a great deal of faith that we're going to come out of this stronger than ever, which will be manifested clearly in 3-5 years. The last time that the nation was this united (and everyone was afraid for their own lives) was World War II, and look what inventions came into use because of it: jet airplanes, nuclear power, synthetic rubber, computers, radar, and penicillin.

Today we have many more smart people who work with much more advanced tools.

Stay safe, control your fear, and await the wonders that will unfold.